Bengaluru:India head coach Igor Stimac on Thursday defended his actions during the team's 4-0 win over Pakistan in its SAFF Championship opener here, saying he "will do it again" to protect his players against "unjustified decisions". Stimac was shown a red card for interrupting with the actions of an opposition player deliberately at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.
"Football is all about passion, especially when you defend the colours of your country. You can hate or love me for my actions yesterday, but I am a warrior and I will do it again when needed to protect our boys on the pitch against unjustified decisions," Stimac tweeted. The rain-drenched first half was meandering to its conclusion with the home side leading 2-0 after two Sunil Chhetri goals. But a moment of indiscretion from Stimac suddenly enlivened the proceedings.
Stimac, a vastly experienced coach and player, chose to interfere when Pakistan player Abdullah Iqbal was ready to make a throw-in. Stimac tried to pull back the ball from the player, sparking wild reactions from some visiting players as well as some coaching staff. The referee Prajwal Chhetri and other match officials had to intervene to separate the intensely sparring individuals.