India head coach Igor Stimac on Friday expressed concern at the lack of quality footballers at the national level and urged the top tier Indian Super League and I-League to play proactive roles to produce players like Sunil Chhetri. Lack of a quality striker was once again evident in India's recent World Cup qualifiers in Qatar as India relied heavily on the aging Chhetri who struck a brace in their 2-0 win over Bangladesh, the lone win of the campaign. In a virtual media conference after India made it to the final qualifying round of the 2023 Asian Cup, the 53-year-old Croat took questions on a range of issues, ranging from his future to the drawbacks of the Indian Super League. Stimac was asked about the next Chhetri and he shot back: "Who do you see in India who can replace Chhetri? Do you see anyone in a striking position to play as center-forward?

"The national team should exploit players coming out from the clubs. The national team is not an academy, we are not a factory to produce players."He said the national team suffered from "all the weakness that is apparent in the country's top league, the ISL"."We can just use what we get from ISL and I-League or other lower leagues in India. National team door is open to everyone. But where to find someone like that (like Chhetri)?" Stimac asked."To be honest there are not many players with the technical ability." Most of the foreign players occupy the most important positions in the team. So our base for selection of the players is very small. And it's not easy. This definitely limits the choice when we go to select the Indian players," he said. Stimac, whose term as head coach was recently extended till September, also criticised the lack of relegation system in the ISL so far."Don't get me wrong but the ISL is not bringing pressure, there is no relegation. It's far different from playing top-level International football."