Wrong to remove Sreejesh in just 15 months: Felix (Image: X)
KOLKATA: Former India hockey captain Jude Felix came down hard on Hockey India, criticising its handling of PR Sreejesh’s exit and calling it “wrong” to remove him barely 15 months into the role.Felix, who took charge of the junior men’s team in 2017, was himself removed in 2019 after less than two years despite guiding India to gold at the Youth Olympic qualifiers, bronze at the 2017 Sultan of Johor Cup and silver in the 2018 edition.Speaking to TOI Felix said, “If Hockey India selected Sreejesh, it means they believed he was good enough. He may not have had experience, but that comes with time. If you appoint someone, you can’t remove him in 15 months. That is wrong.”The former India assistant coach added, “For someone who has contributed so much, especially in winning two Olympic bronze medals, I would have used him differently. I would have built a factory of goalkeepers under him. Goalkeeping is a crucial position, and he could have developed a whole generation. Instead, they made him coach and then removed him.”Hockey India, however, said it had offered Sreejesh the role of development team coach, identified as key to preparations for LA 2028 and the next Olympic cycle.“This would have furthered his experience and exposure as a coach. However, he did not accept this position despite being asked to reconsider the decision,” the federation said.Felix also criticised the removal of P Shanmugam from the Indian women’s team set-up before questioning Hockey India’s reliance on foreign coaches and their failure at the grassroots level, echoing concerns raised by Sreejesh in a social media post on Tuesday.“Have foreign coaches gone into the system and built it? No. They’ve worked at the surface, taken salaries, and left,” Felix said.He also pointed out that India have not bettered their fifth-place finish at the World Cup since 1994, underlining what he called a lack of progress despite heavy investment.Felix, however, admitted that “we do not have enough top-level, quality Indian coaches”.“You can say we’ve produced 600 coaches through certification programmes. You can even say 1,600. But show me 60 top coaches who understand individual skills, team structure, corrections and player development,” asked the Dronacharya awardee.“The problem starts at the grassroots. The coaching levels are very average, and that reflects at every level.”According to Felix, the solution lies in having the right people to select coaches and implementing a structured, uniform coaching system across the country.“It will take time, but it’s possible,” he said, adding, “Coaching is about building a complete player — a forward who can tackle like a defender and a defender who can attack. Total hockey.”In the end, Felix maintained that unless grassroots coaching, long-term planning and accountability are prioritised, Indian hockey will continue to struggle despite strong resources.
