No place for a full-time foreign coach, says Hockey India
Hockey India (HI), the sport’s governing body of the country, has ruled out the option to appoint a full-time imported trainer in the national squad. In its views, the national coach will be at the tiller of issues being faced by the team.
Harendra Singh, the national coach, will lead the squad in the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Cup scheduled to be played from May 05 to 15, 2011. However, the national governing body is thinking to hire a full-time trainer after the tournament in order
to prepare the best-possible squad for the Champions Trophy and the 2012 London Olympic Qualifiers.
The coaching crisis in the country emerged after the 16th Asian Games, where India received a defeat in the hands of low-profile, Malaysia, in the semi-final contest. As a result of the defeat, a mud-slugging campaign between the then skipper,
Rajpal Singh, and the chief coach, Jose Brasa, was observed. Thus the contract of the Spaniard has not been extended for another term and the post of chief coach has fallen vacant.
Executive Director to Hockey India, Anupam Gulati, while speaking to the media personnel clarified that there was no place for a full-time foreign coach in the team, adding that an Indian trainer would be hired after getting approval from the government.
He stated, “We have made a request (to the government), there had been deliberations. But we will have an Indian national.”
Hockey India wanted to rope in VK Naik for the post of team doctor, but his department did not allow him to do so in this regard. It is vital to mention here that VK Naik is associated with the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun.
The Executive Director explained, “Naik was on deputation with HI. He has not been released by his department. But we are still trying to make Naik as team doctor. We have roped in PSN Chandran for now and he has joined. But we are yet to take a call whether
he will travel with the team to Malaysia as team doctor.”
India, after playing the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, will contest in the Asian Champions Trophy which is to be played in China in the month of September 2011. Later on, they will stay some 20 days in Perth, Australia for a four-nation cup. The other contestants
of the tournament are Pakistan, New Zealand and the host Australia.
The team is scheduled to compete for the Champions Trophy to be held from December 3 to 11, 2011. They will also partake in the Olympic Qualifiers (From February 15 to 26) in a bid to get a spot in the 2012 London Olympics.
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