Harendra would have done a fantastic job: Govinda
Krishna Kanta Chakraborty
CHENNAI: Indian hockey coach Jose Brasa’s credentials were always under scanner and four national selectors—Ajitpal Singh, BP Govinda, Balbir Singh and Zafar Iqbal—had decided to send a letter to the sports ministry (after picking the team for the Commonwealth Games) not to extend the Spaniard’s contract, which ended on Tuesday.
Govinda, a former India player, felt Brasa was not an exceptional coach and that Harendra Singh would have done a much better job. “Does Brasa has any answer why and how India conceded eight goals against Australia in the CWG final and how they lost to Malaysia after taking a 3-2 lead in the Asian Games semifinal? He has to answer all these.
We never had any grudge against him but as a national coach you have to show results at the highest level. I think Harendra would have done a fantastic job had he been given full authority of the team,” Govinda said on Tuesday.
Harendra had resigned after India lost to Malaysia in the semifinal of the Asian Games recently.
“We had decided about it long before the Asian Games and now it’s left to the sports ministry to take the final call on the issue,” the former Indian captain added.
“We seriously doubt his ability as a top-notch coach and feel he can’t give meaningful inputs to the team in terms of planning and strategy. He, however, can be useful for development of the game at the grassroot level,” the letter, signed by the four selectors, said.