Brasa empathises with Nobbs’ situation

Firoz Mirza, Hindustan Times

Former India hockey coach Jose Brasa admitted that even he would have been in a fix had he been in charge of the team and faced a situation similar to that of incumbent coach Michael Nobbs, ahead of the all-important Olympic Qualifiers. Asked what would he have done if all the

players opted for the cash-rich World Series Hockey (WSH) ahead of the qualifiers, the Spaniard claimed that he would have gone by players’ choice rather than taking any decision individually.
“I would have spoken to players before jumping to any conclusion,” Brasa told HT.

On Saturday, Brasa was given the responsibility to train the Chennai team in the rebel league. He reached Mumbai on Sunday to take part in the draft to select the players on Monday.

Brasa was confident of India qualifying for the London Olympics, given the easy pool and the home conditions. He also rejected Nobbs’ statement that the WSH would be a major distraction for players ahead of the qualifiers. “Indian players will get enough time to prepare for the qualifiers as the event ends on January 22. Besides, the WSH will give an opportunity to Indian players to compete with the world’s best,” he said.