New Delhi: Livid with the Indian men’s hockey team’s ‘unexpected’ failure to defend the Asian Games title, Hockey India (HI) said Friday the World Cup in Bhubaneswar will be the last chance for chief coach Harendra Singh and the support staff to retain their jobs. India lost Thursday in the semifinals of the Jakarta Asiad to Malaysia.
“Our men players have become spoilt brats. They are always busy on social media and have no regard for discipline. They should learn from athletes, shooters and badminton players,” a HI official said here.
“I have no words to say. It was an awful and unexpected performance from the team. After scoring 76 goals against weak opponents, overconfidence affected them. The players and the team management have let the entire nation down. With the World Cup round the corner we can’t make any changes now but performance in the World Cup would decide the future of the players and the team management,” added the official.
The official was also quick to point out that the head coach and support staff cannot escape responsibility.
“The coaching staff can’t shy away from the blame. From top to bottom, the entire management has to take responsibility. They just can’t sit and take away salaries. Against Malaysia, the Indian team lacked any plan,” asserted the official.
The players have become spoilt brats. They have no regard for discipline. They should learn from the women’s team who have performed beyond expectations
HI official
“The men should learn from the women players. They have never deviated from their goal. They looked focused and have improved by leaps and bounds,” the official pointed out.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) too is fuming with the team’s dismal show as it was expected to be a sure-shot gold.
“It was shocking to say the least. I have not seen such a bad performance in the last few years. You are ranked fifth in the world and against a side who are ranked 12th, you looked clueless. This is not acceptable,” IOA president Narinder Batra, who is former chief of HI, said.
“The government has been very supportive of hockey and has provided all help but our men’s team have failed to deliver when it mattered. We will concentrate on sports like athletics, badminton, shooting and other sports which have performed beyond expectations,” he added.