Brasa confident of India qualifying for Olympics

By: Ashwin Ferro

Former India hockey coach Jose Brasa is confident that the national team will qualify for the 2012 London Olympics. Having finished outside the Top Three at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, India have to play and win an Olympic qualifier tournament early next year if they wish to make it to the London Games. And Brasa is confident they will do just that.

“I have worked very closely with this Indian hockey team, so I know that they are a very skilful bunch. They are a very passionate outfit and most keen to be part of the Olympics this time (having missed out on qualifying for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing for the first time in 84 years),” said Brasa, who was with the Indian team for about a year-and- a-half before his contract expired in November last year after the Guangzhou Asian Games.

Australian Michael Nobbs was appointed chief coach earlier this year and handed a five-year contract until 2016. Spaniard Brasa felt Nobbs is one of the best things that could have happened to Indian hockey.
“Indian hockey is in great hands with Nobbs as chief coach.

He has proven himself in a very short period by giving India victory in the recent Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, China. It shows that he is understanding the Indian players well and that’s very important. At the moment, the team has the momentum going in their favour,” added Brasa, who was signed up as one of eight coaches for the franchise-based World Series Hockey to be played in eight cities across India in December-January.

Besides Brasa, legendary Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, German coach Andrew Meredith, former India coaches Harendra Singh and Rajinder Singh Vasudevan Baskaran, ex-India captain Jude Felix and former India assistant coach Gundeep Singh joined WSH as coaches.