It was on March 27 at the Hockey India Awards. Every Indian team and coach was present under one roof. It was a day of celebration, with players and coaches interacting freely with the media. Yet one man seemed detached from it all, unusually withdrawn for someone known for his warmth and energy in the media.
The often talkative PR Sreejesh stayed out of the limelight and dodged questions throughout the evening. When we finally got a brief opportunity to speak with him, the legendary goalkeeper politely said he did not wish to interact with the media that day. There was a quiet sense that something was simmering beneath the surface. But the event moved on, as did everyone else.
And then May 13th came. The storm that was building inside Sreejesh finally broke loose because of Indian hockey.
In an explosive post on social mediaThe 38-year-old revealed that he is no longer the head coach of the Indian junior men’s hockey team – a role he took up immediately after India’s emotional bronze medal triumph at the Paris Olympics. Despite five medals, including a podium finish at the FIH Junior Hockey World Cup, Sreejesh was suddenly out.
He criticized Hockey India and claimed that the federation removed him in favor of a foreign coachlater revealed to be Frederic Soyez. Hockey India quickly attempted damage controlinsisted that Sreejesh had not been “fired” and had instead been offered the role of coach of the development team – a position they described as crucial to the preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Sreejesh explained his reasons not accepting the role in another explosive tweet.
The federation also argued that it is time for more experience to enter the junior set-up, suggesting that Sreejesh still needs more attention as a coach.
Another point that Hockey India highlighted was their focus on supporting local and home-grown coaches, claiming that they already have over 600 such talents under their coaching system.
But the explanation only raised more questions.
If Sreejesh was not experienced enough, why give him the role? If the federation really wanted to support domestic coaches, wasn’t Sreejesh exactly the figure they should be sticking with?
And if an experienced foreign coach was always part of the long-term plan, shouldn’t the appointment come right after the Olympics in Paris itself?
These were questions that needed answers – and perhaps only someone who worked in the system could really understand them.
This is where Jude Felix enters the story.
A quirky captain in his playing days and a deeply respected tactician after his retirement, Felix remains one of the most outspoken voices in Indian hockey. His Arjuna Award and Dronacharya Award are a testament to both his playing pedigree and coaching credentials.
More importantly, he understood exactly what Sreejesh was going through.
Felix himself faced a similar fate in 2019. He was also suddenly removed after being appointed as the junior coach in 2017.
What was supposed to be a short phone call soon turned into an emotional outpouring as Felix opened up about why he believes Hockey India keeps repeating the same mistakes over and over again.
HUGE MISTAKE OF HOCKEY INDIA
During an interview with India Today, Felix admitted that he was surprised when Sreejesh was appointed as the coach of the men’s junior team. According to him, the size of the player does not automatically translate into the success of the coach.
“For me, Sreejesh is a fantastic player. And I would almost 50 per cent credit India’s first bronze medal in Tokyo with his contribution. He was a phenomenal goalkeeper. He worked very hard. I worked with him when I was in the senior training camp.”
“But for me his appointment was a surprise. The reason I say that is because being a player and being a coach are two different things,” Felix said.
However, Felix insisted that if Hockey India decided that Sreejesh was the right person for the role, then the federation should have also made its expectations clear from the start.
“Keep the standards and say in this tournament, we have to finish first, in this second and so on. So I don’t know what the federation expected from Sreejesh,” Felix said.
“The results were there. But did they want a gold medal? Then he failed. Did they want a silver medal? He failed again. Did they want a bronze medal? Yes, he achieved that result,” he added.
Felix said Sreejesh’s removal was something he personally related to, calling himself one of the many victims of Hockey India’s constant chopping and changing when it comes to coaches.
“I’m against Hockey India. They’ve done this to so many coaches. I’m one of the victims and it’s an absolute disgrace the way they treat ex-coaches and sack them. So I fully understand what he’s going through when he’s sacked,” Felix said.
Which naturally raised another question: was Sreejesh’s appointment itself an emotional decision? Reward given away in the glow of the Paris Olympics high?
Felix did not hesitate.
For him, it was simply another example of poor decision-making by the federation, which in his eyes has been trapped in the same cycle for years.
COACH’S FOREIGN OBSESSION
One of the notable points of Sreejesh’s public response was his criticism of hockey India’s continued obsession with foreign coaches. He openly questioned why Indian coaches were repeatedly overlooked when it came to shaping the future of Indian hockey.
Felix agreed.
Having worked alongside several foreign coaches during his career – including Terry Walsh – Felix asked himself where the tangible success from these appointments had actually been.
India has experimented with names like Walsh, Sjoerd Marijne, Roelant Oltmans and others over the years, but truly transformative results have largely remained elusive.
Felix pointed to India’s fifth-place finish at the 1994 World Cup – achieved during his captaincy alongside coach Cedric D’Souza – as proof that India’s voices within the set-up can work just as effectively.
“In terms of foreign coaches, it didn’t work in India. I was captain of the team in the 1994 World Cup and nobody knows that, but I was, I was captain of the team and my coach was Cedric at the time and we had a fantastic relationship where I could, I could even coach the team, right. So nobody knew and I was coaching the team.
“We got a very, very respectable fifth place in the World Cup. We just missed the Olympic semi-finals.”
“You had so many foreign coaches here? We didn’t get past 5th place. I was captain of the team in 1994 and I’m still sitting here talking to you. We haven’t gone past 5th place since then. That’s the biggest shame, having all foreign coaches,” said Felix.
Felix also questioned the vast amount of resources provided to foreign coaches in India compared to other nations.
“A foreign coach has the highest number of training hours compared to any country in the world.”
“It has the highest budget compared to any country in the world and has been given a free hand to do everything. Then we should win the gold medal in every tournament.”
“But is it? No, it’s not, it’s not, is it? That’s not the case,” said Felix.
ARE INDIAN COACHES NOT GOOD ENOUGH?
While Hockey India proudly pointed to its program of over 600 domestic coaches, Felix remained unconvinced.
Quantity without quality means little to him.
“We don’t have coaches in India. Hockey India can write this article, we have a path for 600 coaches. You can even have 1,600 coaches. The quality of 10 coaches will be better than 600 or 1,600 coaches,” Felix said.
He also pointed out that coaches who showed promise were often dropped before they were given a fair chance to grow.
One such example, he said, was Shanmugham Pandurangan, who was personally mentored by Felix and who later worked with the Indian women’s set-up before being removed after Sjoerd Marijne’s return.
“Shanmugam is one of the best coaches in India. He was appointed by Hockey India when Harinder Singh was the head coach. He was appointed assistant coach of the women’s team. He was there for about 3 or 4 months,” Felix said.
“Now they have removed him. If that is the case, how will the Indian coaches improve?”
GIVE PEOPLE TIME
However, the core of Felix’s argument centered on one thing: time. If Hockey India really believed that Sreejesh was someone worth investing in, then they needed to back him for more than just 18 months.
“The whole crux of the problem is that their decision-making is absolutely zero. If they decided I want a guy like Sree, if they think he’s that good, then it just can’t be a year and a half.”
“I think it takes 2 years to get to know a player.
Felix insisted that coaching development cannot happen overnight and that sacking a promising coach so quickly only reflects poor planning on the part of the federation.
“If you understood that he is a great coach that needs to be developed, you can’t fire them in 1.5 years. It’s simple. So they’re wrong again,” Felix said.
The former Indian captain feels that Sreejesh was ultimately insulted by the federation’s handling of the situation.
“They definitely insulted him because the first thing you should realize is if he’s good enough to be a coach. But then in 1.5 years you decide he’s not good enough.”
“It means you weren’t doing your job right, and that’s what caused all these problems,” Felix concluded.
In the end, it looks like another hard reset for Hockey India and the junior setup. But for Sreejesh, it leaves a much more personal feeling – that the work he had just started was suddenly stopped.
And maybe that feeling is not only his own.
– The end
Published on:
15 May 2026 08:36 IST
