Two-time Olympic medallist and legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has openly criticised Hockey India after his tenure as coach of the junior men’s team was abruptly ended despite producing results, questioning why Indian hockey continues to rely heavily on foreign coaches.
Sreejesh, who took charge of the junior side after retiring following the 2024 Paris Olympics, hinted that he was removed from the role to accommodate a foreign coach despite achieving strong results during his time with the team.
Under his guidance, the Indian junior men’s team finished on the podium in all five tournaments they played, including winning the Junior Asia Cup and securing bronze medals at both the Sultan of Johor Cup and the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup.
Expressing his disappointment in a strongly-worded post on social media, Sreejesh said the decision had left him shocked given the team’s performances. He also questioned the federation’s approach towards Indian coaches.
“It 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.
Sreejesh said coaches are usually removed after poor results, making his situation difficult to understand. “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.”
Sreejesh also revealed what he claimed Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey told him regarding the reasoning behind the move.
“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.”
Questioning that logic, Sreejesh added: “Can’t Indian coaches develop Indian hockey?”
Sreejesh further revealed that Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had recently encouraged him to take on a larger coaching role as part of India’s preparations for the 2036 Olympics.
“On 07-03-2026, during a meeting with the Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, I was told, ‘Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036.’”
Contrasting that encouragement with Hockey India’s current approach, Sreejesh ended his post by expressing frustration over the federation’s continued preference for overseas coaches. “However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams,” he concluded.