Foreign coaches present their case, verdict awaited

Uthra G Chaturvedi

After much delay, lot of deliberations and false alarms, Indian hockey’s search for a foreigner to take charge of the game finally took another forward step on Monday when the three shortlisted coaches met the committee set up to search for a foreign coach and made presentations.
But the whole thing was a hush-hush affair with all the three coaches — Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, twice Olympic and World Cup champion Jacques Brinkman and Australian Michael Nobbs — and the members of the five-man committee who were to interview them following a code of silence.

None of the coaches was willing to talk about their proposals or expectations — except for admitting their interest in the job, self-evident by the fact that they agreed to fly down for the meeting. Interestingly, Oltmans has been coach of the triumphant Dutch team that Brinkman was a part of at both the 1996 Olympics and 1998 World Cup.

The presentations each lasted more than an hour with the committee members, along with Hockey India Executive Director Anupam Ghulati.

“We can’t say anything right now, the presentations have all been impressive and they are all very professional. We need to take a call but nothing can be said right now,” said one of those present.

Sources said while the presentations varied in the details, what all three were keen on was a long-term project and not short-term measures. And while the Olympic qualifiers have already been stressed as the immediate target for the team and the coach — whoever takes charge — Hockey India is also agreeable to engage his services for a longer period.

They also added that with the sports ministry making getting a top coach a priority and assuring of no financial hurdles, it is likely that there will be no compromises this time around.

Well prepared

As for the presentations themselves, a senior Hockey India official admitted all three had prepared well. “We didn’t expect anything less anyways. They are professionals, they have not only studied Indian hockey well but are also very clear of what is needed here and what they can deliver; at the same time they are also very clear about they expect from us,” he said.

“Some points are good in everyone and the best part is they all know what it takes and what it means to be on top. We expect them to instill the same in our players, that feeling of winning. That’s most important,” he said.

The meetings will continue for a couple of days more before the three coaches fly back. And by the time the senior men’s team gets down to practice at their camp in Bangalore on July 1, it is most likely that one of the three will be finalised as the man to lead Indian hockey into what will be an important year.