Brasa deal finally through

Uthra Ganesan

New Delhi: India’s quest for a foreign coach in hockey is finally over. Four months after he first came to the country with a presentation to outline his ideas, Spaniard Jose Brasa will be arriving again in the Capital on Monday to sign on the dotted line and be appointed as the chief coach of the Indian team.

However, Brasa will take formal charge of the squad only after the Asia Cup, since the Indian sports ministry and ad-hoc committee officials do not want to disturb the current set-up and training under coach Harendra Singh. Brasa, who was earlier keen to join the team directly in Malaysia, will now join them before the team’s practice games against Japan just before the tournament begins. He will also be observing the team and assisting Harendra with his suggestions during the Asia Cup, which begins onMay 9.

Middle ground

A senior sports ministry official said that they had tried to find a middle ground between Brasa’s initial demands and the government’s limitations in appointing a foreign coach. According to the official, the Spaniard has been sanctioned a monthly salary of 7000 euros a month (as first reported by The Indian Express) which is way above the $5000 (3800 euros) per month limit set by the sports ministry.

In addition, he will also bring with him an in-charge of Human Performance — David Perez, who will be paid 5000 euros a month — whom he describes as someone with more responsibilities than a physical trainer. The rest of the support staff would be Indian while current coach Harendra Singh is likely to continue as the national coach and assist Brasa in the new set-up. That will also negate any requirement for a translator.

In addition, Brasa is also likely to have a major say in selection procedures. However, his contract at the moment will only be till the 2010 Asian Games, after which it will be reviewed by the government steering committee on sports before being considered for an extension till the 2012 Olympics. Also, while Brasa had asked for a 14-member support-staff, he will be getting only eight at the moment. His family will also not be accompanying him or shift out to India but will be allowed to visit him for 30 days in a year.

Based on performance

“We will also be reviewing his demand of prize money for victories and in official tournaments and an annual increase in salary, depending upon the team’s performances,” a senior ministry official said.

The official added that Brasa would also prepare a detailed assessment report of every player in the squad — including those in the ad-hoc committee’s Long Term Development Programme — which will remain secret and be presented only to the ministry.

Brasa had also given a complete list of his demands — including a radar, photo-electrical cells, encoders, GPS, heart rate measuring equipment etc — but the ministry, recognising the cash crunch, has approved certain necessities like video cameras and video software analysis, besides a permanent doctor, trainer and other members of the support staff.