Two-time Olympic bronze medalist PR Sreejesh took to social media on Wednesday to question Hockey India’s preference for a foreign coach for the Indian junior men’s hockey team.
Sreejesh was appointed as the junior team’s head coach in August 2024, immediately after the leading goalkeeper announced retirement after winning a bronze at the Paris Olympics.
His term has now come to an end.
“It 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,” PR Sreejesh wrote on social media on Wednesday.
“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,” he added.
Under him, Team India secured a historic podium finish at the 2025 FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup. The team was trailing 0-2 and came back to win 4-2 against Argentina in the bronze medal match.
“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 concluded.
