Sreejesh slams Hockey India again, raises grievances against goalkeeping coach role: 'Promotion or demotion?'

Indian hockey legend PR Sreejesh has once again criticised Hockey India and its president, Dilip Tirkey, stating that the offer to be the "Coach for the Development team" lacked clarity due to the absence of a proper structure. The two-time Olympic medallist Sreejesh created a massive controversy on Wednesday when he claimed that Hockey India had removed him as the national junior men’s team coach to make way for a foreign coach.

Under Sreejesh, the Indian junior men’s hockey team secured five podium finishes in five tournaments, including a Junior Asia Cup gold and an FIH Junior World Cup bronze, their first medal at the world event since winning it in 2016.

Defending itself, Hockey India later stated that Sreejesh was never "fired," but rather his contract came to an end, and he was also offered the opportunity to coach the development team.

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Sreejesh slams Hockey India again

But on Thursday night, Sreejesh questioned the structure of the development team.

“When the Hockey India president offered me the 'development team,' I asked a few simple questions: Do we really have a development team? Who are the players in this development group? What is the structure of the program? What camps are approved for them? What tournaments are they preparing for?

“There were no answers to any of these questions," Sreejesh wrote on X.

Sreejesh also added that being offered the goalkeeping coach role after guiding a team to a World Cup medal was akin to demotion.

“And about goalkeeper coaching… after winning a Junior World Cup bronze medal as chief coach, making me a goalkeeper coach again — is that considered a promotion or a demotion?”

Srrejesh went on to once again highlight the federation's preference to employ foreign coaches over Indian trainers.

“4 teams. 6 foreign coaches. 3 foreign strength & conditioning coaches. 1 foreign video analyst. 2 foreign goalkeeper coaches (visiting). 1 foreign sports psychologist (visiting).

“Lucky that at least we still have 1 Indian coach in each team (as per the Hockey India app). Junior team is already taken. Maybe now it’s time for U18 too,” he added.

“Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal are doing a great job, but maybe the president feels they are still “not experienced enough” or “qualified enough” to coach Indian teams. So can we expect more foreign coaches there as well?”

Hockey India has not replied to the latest allegations.