Igor Stimac pens farewell note to ‘Blue Tigers’

New Delhi, June 19

Full of praise for the players he coached for five years, Igor Stimac today said he never expected to be “so personally invested” in the country when he first joined and lauded his wards for their “courage and character”.

“To all Indian football fans and my blue tigers, it’s been an honour to serve you over the last five years,” Stimac posted online. “I didn’t expect to form such a strong bond with this country and be so personally invested when I first joined you all. I am proud of every player and team member. Together we were able to create an environment of hope and belief, we pushed each other physically and mentally to play fearless, intelligent football, which required a lot of courage and effort,” added Stimac, who is now back in Croatia.