Craig Fulton, head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team, accepted full responsibility for the team’s poor performance during the European leg of the 2024-25 FIH Pro League season.
Finishing 8th in the standings, their lowest-ever position in the FIH Pro League, the team missed out on securing a direct qualification spot for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup. India also suffered seven consecutive losses in Europe during the campaign.
“I’ll take full responsibility for maybe not having prepped the group the way it needed to be prepped, but that’s where we are. That’s what happened, and we can’t brush that under the carpet,” Fulton told PTI.
India had begun their FIH Pro League season strongly, ranking in the top three with 15 points in their eight-match home leg. The team was hopeful of clinching their first-ever Pro League title before the European leg.
However, the final leg in Europe didn’t go as planned, and with seven consecutive defeats, despite a victory in their final match, the team ended in 8th place, just above the relegation position.
Summarising the European leg, Fulton said, “We had a break, we looked at areas that we want to improve, and a lot of it comes down to small moments, restarts, a little bit of defending, a little bit of outlasting under high pressure, and then penalty corner defence, penalty corner attack. It’s always where it makes the biggest difference.”
The team’s focus now shifts towards the men’s Asia Cup next month, from August 27 to September 7 in India, where the winners will earn a direct spot for the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cup.
“We have to focus on PCD, PCA, final third, and conceding some soft goals along the baseline and things like that. That’s fixable and that’s true,” Fulton pinpointed areas he wanted his team to improve.
