NEW DELHI: Indian hockey legend PR Sreejesh has escalated his public disapproval of Hockey India, posting a scathing response after the federation defended its decision not to renew his contract as coach of the men’s junior team.The two-time Olympic medalist, whose 17-month stint came to an end after India’s bronze finish at the World Junior Championships, took to social media to directly challenge Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey’s comments.“When the president of Hockey India offered me a 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,” wrote Sreejesh.
Sreejesh questions the foreign heavy setup
Sreejesh also questioned the federation’s coaching structure and highlighted what he called an increasing reliance on overseas staff.“After winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships as a head coach, I’m back as a goalkeeper coach – is that considered a promotion or a demotion?” he asked.He then listed the current setup: four teams, six foreign coaches, three foreign strength and conditioning coaches, one foreign video analyst, two visiting foreign goalkeeper coaches and one visiting foreign sports psychologist.“More fortunately, we have at least one Indian coach in every team,” he added on a pointed note.The former goalkeeper also mentioned the junior and youth journeys and hinted that the under-18s could soon be moving in the same direction.“Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal are doing a great job but maybe the President feels they are still not experienced or qualified enough to coach Indian teams. So can we expect more foreign coaches there too?”
India’s hockey defence
Hockey India denied any bias and insisted that Sreejesh’s contract simply expired in December 2025 and that the standard application process was followed. The federation named Frederic Soyez as the new junior men’s coach on Thursday.Tirkey said Sreejesh was offered the role of head of the development team and the wider task of goalkeeper, but the former star declined.Sreejesh had earlier claimed that senior coach Craig Fulton preferred a foreign coach for the junior side, which Hockey India rejected.The swap has now become one of Indian hockey’s most publicized controversies, with one of its biggest players openly challenging the federation over opportunities for Indian coaches.
