Sreejesh Parattu Raveendran looks on during the men’s quarter-final between India and Great Britain on day nine of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade Yves Du Manoir on August 4, 2024 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)
PR Sreejesh’s stint as India’s junior hockey coach has come to an end after 17 months, but his departure has now led to questions and differing claims from both the former goalkeeper and Hockey India.Sreejesh was out of contract after leading India to a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships held in Chennai and Madurai last year. He again applied for the role, but Hockey India did not renew his contract.Hockey India on Thursday officially appointed Frederic Soyez as the new coach of the men’s junior team.The federation said there was nothing unusual about the decision and argued that the process was carried out properly.However, Sreejesh said on social media that he was ignored to make way for a foreign coach who was reportedly preferred by senior men’s coach Craig Fulton.The issue has also reportedly caused mixed reactions among players.“Some of the players in the junior team were not happy with Sreejesh’s work style, they could not reach him on phone when needed when the camp was not on,” a source was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said the decision was part of a long-term plan linked to India’s preparations for the 2036 Olympics.“We did not fire Sreejesh. His contract expired in December 2025 and we followed the due process and advertised the position. He also applied and the candidates were shortlisted and finalized on merit based on a proper selection process,” Tirkey said.“We never wanted him to come out of the coaching programme, we offered him to lead the development programme, India A and others. Besides, we offered him to manage our goalkeepers at the national level with his vast experience, but he declined,” he added.“But the door is always open for him and other Indian coaches.Sreejesh went straight from playing to coaching despite having no formal coaching experience at the time of his appointment.Having played under several foreign coaches during his career, including Roelant Oltmans, Terry Walsh, Graham Reid and Craig Fulton, his criticism of Hockey India’s preference for a foreign coach also drew attention.Tirkey denied that Fulton had any role in the appointment process.“We never told him that the head coach of the men’s team preferred to appoint a foreign coach for the junior side. As a federation, we are working together on our government’s vision to build a pathway to 2036 and developing our Indian coaching talent is a big part of that process.”Apart from coaching, Sreejesh is also the mentor and director of the Hockey India League Delhi SG Pipers franchise.
