Indian Football Team Picked On Basis Of Astrologer's Suggestions: Report

The Indian men’s football team head coach Igor Stimac is said to have consulted an astrologer to make team selections for the AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualification matches in June 2022, according to a report.

India had to win a mini-tournament featuring Afghanistan, Cambodia and Hong Kong in order to secure qualification for the Asian Cup – the prime continental competition among Asian men’s national teams. The matches were scheduled to take place in Kolkata in June 2022, which is when the astrologer was hired by the All India Football Federation to assist the coach.

In a report by The Indian Express, Stimac allegedly contacted astrologer Bhupesh Sharma and passed on personal information of players – such as date of birth and fitness test results – in order for Sharma to predict how those players will perform. Accordingly, Stimac altered the team lineup for the matches.