NEW DELHI: It’s been almost one month since
Janneke Schopman
's ‘controversial’ resignation as the chief coach of the
Indian women's hockey team
.
Hockey India
is yet to announce a replacement, after the departure of the first female coach of the Indian women's team.
Schopman, who had won the World Cup and Olympic gold during her playing days, assumed the command of the India women's team in 2021 replacing
Sjoerd Marine
, who guided the team to a historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Initially Schopman joined the Indian women's team as an analytical coach under Marijne in January 2020, before taking over as the head coach. Her contract was slated to conclude in August after the
Paris Olympics
. However, after expressing critical sentiments such as "this country is extremely difficult for a woman" following the team's failure to qualify for the Paris Games, it was anticipated that she would not continue in her role.
In an exclusive chat with Timesofindia.com, former Indian men's hockey player
Jagbir Singh
, criticizing Schopman's reluctance to voice her concerns promptly, said: "I would always expect the coach to speak when her demands are not met, when the preparation is being hit or when the support didn't come in line with the coach's plan because that hinders the performance of the team. That also affects the morale of the team."
"So, if you don't speak at the right time and speak later when everything goes out of hand, when you have not qualified and when you know that it's time to leave, then it doesn't solve the purpose, but it then spoils the overall relationship between the officials and the coaches," added the two-time Asian Games medalist.
Hockey India (HI) disclosed that the 46-year-old coach tendered her resignation to its president
Dilip Tirkey
after the conclusion of the team's outing in the home leg of the
FIH Hockey Pro League
in Odisha. Under Schopman's guidance, the Indian team registered 38 wins, 17 draws, and 19 losses out of 74 matches played.
The team's highlight during her tenure remains the title victory at the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy. However, the failure to qualify for the Paris Games brought significant disappointment.
Reflecting on this setback, Singh remarked, "It's the loss to the players. It's a big loss to the players that they have missed this berth for the Olympics. Many may not be part of the team in the next Olympics, especially the youngsters, because this is a team which was being groomed to become one of the best teams... It's just that they will be missing the Olympics, which they very well deserved. It's painful. It's hurting. But that's the way life is."
English (US) ·