Former Indian hockey team skipper PR Sreejesh’s tenure as coach of the junior men’s hockey team has ended after Hockey India decided not to extend his contract. His last assignment with the team was the Junior World Cup held in Chennai, where India won the bronze medal.
In a social media post, Sreejesh, who retired from international hockey after winning a bronze medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics, criticised the federation for removing him despite what he described as a successful coaching stint.
Under his guidance, the junior side won the gold medal at the Junior Asia Cup and secured a bronze medal at the Sultan of Johor Cup. However, Hockey India reportedly decided to replace Sreejesh after the Junior World Cup due to dissatisfaction with certain shortcomings, including the team’s tactical setup under his coaching.
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. 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 wrote on the micro-blogging site X on Wednesday.
“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? 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 added.
