Janneke Schopman reveals why Rani Rampal was excluded: 'I didn’t think she was good enough'

India women’s hockey team head coach Janneke Schopman resigned from her role just a month after her side failed to qualify for the upcoming Olympics, scheduled to take place in Paris. Schopman’s resignation comes days after she claimed that she was not valued and respected enough by Hockey India. Needless to say, her remarks triggered huge controversy. Apart from the on-field performances, a crucial aspect of Schopman’s tenure as the head coach of the team was the exclusion of former captain Rani Rampal.

India produced a remarkable performance, under Rampal’s leadership at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and finished fourth. Rampal, however, lost her spot in the team since Schopman took responsibilities of the side. Schopman recently disclosed what actually transpired between her and Rampal.

“Rani told me she played at the Tokyo Olympics injured. But she didn’t tell Sjoerd Marijne or me (at the Olympics itself). So I gave her a lot of time to recover. She was injured for a long time. She could only play one game, since the medical staff said that she cannot play back-to-back games in the Pro League. She played the game against Belgium and that’s when I made the decision that she’s not good enough to play in the Hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. That was a message she didn’t want to hear. She didn’t agree,” Schopman told NNIS.

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“I supported her recovery, her rehab. I allowed her to leave the SAI campus and not be with the team because she couldn’t deal with all those things. If you’re a team player, you kind of need to be there. She was fit after that. But I didn’t think she was good enough… she can’t run,” Schopman recalled.

Schopman took over the reins of the India women’s hockey team in 2021 from her compatriot Sjoerd Marine. Schopman has been a part of the side since January 2020. Initially, she used to handle the role of an analytical coach under Marijne who guided the Indian women’s side to a historic fourth position at the Tokyo Olympics.

Under Schopman, Indian women’s team claimed a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games and won the FIH Nations Cup title in 2022. She also helped the side in winning the Asian Champions Trophy in 2023.