ANI
13 May 2026, 22:31 GMT+10
New Delhi [India], May 13 (ANI): Former Indian goalkeeper and two-time Olympic bronze medallist PR Sreejesh has alleged that his tenure as coach of the India men's junior hockey team has come to an end as Hockey India decided to 'make way for a foreign coach.'
Sreejesh, who was appointed as the coach of the Indian junior men's hockey team following the 2024 Olympics, made the remarks in a post shared on the social media platform X.
In his post, the former goalkeeper reflected on his coaching stint, stating that the team achieved podium finishes in all five tournaments it participated in under his leadership, including securing a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup held in Chennai and Madurai in 2025.
'It's seems like my coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played 5 tournaments and secured 5 podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal,' Sreejesh wrote in his post on X.
He further said that while he had heard of coaches being removed following poor performances, this was the first time he had personally experienced being replaced despite positive results in order to accommodate a foreign coach.
'I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances. But this is the first time I am experiencing being removed to make way for a foreign coach,' he said.
Sreejesh also revealed that, according to the Hockey India president, Dilip Kumar Tirkey, the senior men's team coach, Craig Fulton, wants a foreign coach for the junior team as well, believing it would help create a more consistent development pathway from junior to senior hockey. He questioned this preference, asking why Indian coaches can't also develop Indian hockey.
'The Hockey India President stated that the chief coach of the senior men's team prefers a foreign head coach for the junior team, believing it will help develop Indian hockey from the junior level through to the senior level. Hence, the continued preference for foreign coaches -- Can't Indian coaches develop Indian hockey?' he said.
Sreejesh said that during a meeting with Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, he was encouraged to take on a larger leadership role, with the minister saying India needs coaches like him to help prepare for the 2036 goals. However, he alleged that Hockey India still prefers foreign coaches for all four teams -- the senior and junior men's and women's squads.
'On 07-03-2026, during a meeting with the Hon'ble Sports Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, I was told, 'Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036.' However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams,' he said. (ANI)
Get a daily dose of Herald Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Herald Globe.
More InformationWASHINGTON, D.C.: A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on May 11 showed that two out of three Americans believe President Donald Trump has...
BEIJING, China: The families of two Americans who have been in prison in China for over 10 years are asking U.S. President Donald Trump...
DUBAI, U.A.E.: U.S. President Donald Trump rejected Tehran's latest offer to end the war, deepening the standoff on May 11 between...
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Nobel Peace laureate and activist Narges Mohammadi was finally shifted to a Tehran hospital, her foundation said on...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The White House has invited Elon Musk and Tim Cook to join President Donald Trump on his trip to China this week,...
JAKARTA, Indonesia: More than 300 foreign nationals, mainly from Vietnam, were arrested by the Indonesian police on Satyrday, for alleged...
(Photo credit: Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images) UCLA announced a new contract for national championship-winning...
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 13 (ANI): Gujarat Titans (GT) ace seamer Kagiso Rabada admitted that bowling in India is tough on...
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 13 (ANI): Yonex Sunrise India successfully conducted the Mumbai leg of the Yonex Stringing Workshop...
New Delhi [India], May 13 (ANI): Former Indian goalkeeper and two-time Olympic bronze medallist PR Sreejesh has alleged that his tenure...
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], May 13 (ANI): Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) skipper Pat Cummins has been fined Rs 12 lakhs after his team...
(Photo credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images) Netflix is finalizing a deal to stream the NFL Honors ceremony in 2027, Front Office Sports...
