| Red alert for Stimac  Igor Stimac is shown a red card against Kuwait (Source: Twitter) Igor Stimac and Slaven Bilic go back a long way. Nearly the same age, their years as players at Hadjuk Split overlapped and they have, at different times, managed the club. Polyglots both, Stimac and Bilic were the central defensive pair in a team which put Croatia on the world football map in 1998. Both have experience of working in Asia, have coached the Croatia national team and played in England. And, as is evident at the SAFF Championships, both fall foul of referees. As West Bromwich Albion manager, Bilic, hirsute and heftier than his playing days, once got into referee Mike Dean’s ears so much that he was shown the red card at half-time. Stimac saw two straight red cards in two games, something that, as per the website transfermarkt, never happened in his international career spanning 53 matches including a World Cup and a European championship. In 44 games for Croatia, Bilic never saw red. The fact that he plays the rhythm guitar well enough to be part of rock bands is another difference with Stimac. After the first red card, against Pakistan, Stimac put up a defiant tweet. He didn’t do that after the red card against Kuwait – it followed a booking for grabbing the ball, an offence that had got him sent off earlier – but that will be small consolation for India. The South Asian Football Federation let him off lightly for snatching the ball from a Pakistan player (and triggering a jostling bout which could have unspooled into something nastier on a night where pitchside security was breached more than once) and is unlikely to do an encore. Stimac had said Kuwait were “the biggest exam up until now” and it was gratifying to see India match them for skill, strength and stamina. Stimac and his staff deserve credit for building on the work started by Stephen Constantine. India’s energy levels don’t dip even against opponents more comfortable on the ball as Kuwait were. Judging Kuwait by their ranking is as erroneous as evaluating North Korea by theirs; the latter don’t play as much and the former have been set back by FIFA bans. India were firm in defence, led till second-half stoppage time and gave back as good as they got when the tie got physical. But here’s the thing: siege mentality and being aggressive – India were that against Kuwait (and against Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup) – work as tactics only if teams know where to draw the line. Jose Mourinho was once a master of that. Rahim Ali’s stupid charge for a red card and Stimac's expulsion against Pakistan were proof of what Mourinho, fined and banned by UEFA and the Italian FA, has become, not what he was. And this is where it could get worrying for All India Football Federation (AIFF). If, in the tournaments between now and the Asian Cup (King’s Cup, Merdeka, Asian Games and the Asian under-23 qualifiers), India are identified as a team that can be riled up and with a coach who is quick to anger, it will be a problem. But dealing with this is tricky. Go too hard on the coach and the team and AIFF could have a deflated unit. Go soft and all the hard work since 2019 could be lost in a fit of pique. Missing Indian Arrows Of which there was a lot of on social media after India crashed out of the Asian under-17 finals following a 4-8 loss to Japan. Pointing out that it hadn’t worked in the past (the under-17 squads for the 2017 men’s World Cup and the 2022 under-17 women’s World Cup), the plan of an exposure tour to compensate for lack of games at home was criticised and a better structure at home called for.  Malemngamba Singh playing against Vietnam in the Asian under-17 finals in Thailand. India drew 1-1 with Vietnam, lost 0-1 to Uzbekistan and 4-8 to Japan. (Courtesy: AFC) There’s no denying the need for more games at all levels for men and women across the country. If that happens – and that’s a big if given the infrastructure (or lack of it), cost and inadequate number of teams – India will not need tours like the one Bibiano Fernandes’ team undertook in April and May. But this squad was chosen from open trials because Covid-19 had stalled youth leagues. There were additions from the under-17 league in 2022-23 but the squad that got the finals berth had only friendlies to hone skills. Ergo, a tour of Spain and Germany before the competition in Thailand. The players have returned to clubs, academies and will struggle for games. At a critical phase of their development, these players may train a lot but play little. Had Indian Arrows not been disbanded, they would have played in I-League. In Kicks For Free, HT’s football podcast, Fernandes said these players should forego ISL contracts for look for I-League first and second division clubs to ensure game time. But with relegation a possibility, how many clubs will give 18-year-olds a chance?  Anirudh Thapa, the midfield master (Source: AIFF) So, the pool shrinks and the handful who make it to the top command massive salaries. If Anirudh Thapa and Akash Mishra, an Arrows product, have signed deals reportedly worth Rs 3 crore a year it is because there aren’t enough players in the world’s most populous country. It also means like in west Asia, there is no incentive for these players to try for a contract abroad. Thapa wasn’t Mohun Bagan’s only recent big ticket signing. The club has got Australia striker Jason Cummings, who played in the 2022 World Cup. What is significant is that he is 27, has played for and in Scotland and has joined on a three-year deal. This, days after Armando Sadiku, the Albanian striker who scored in the last Euro, signed on a two-year contract.  Jason Cummings against France in the World Cup (Source: Getty Images) | 
