Rach wants to become India hockey coach again

NEW DELHI: Five years after quitting due to a string of poor results and controversies, India’s first foreign hockey coach Gerhard Rach regrets the decision and is keen to get back the job.

The German, whose five-month tenure ended in January 2005, is currently coaching Bangladesh and regrets his “childish” move.

“I got angry, reacted like a child and left India. Today I would react differently,” Rach said.

“After the disastrous Olympic Games for which I only got two months to prepare the team, I think I did a good job during the Pakistan tour.

“We beat Pakistan 4-1 in Quetta and finished fourth in the Champions Trophy in Lahore. Indian Hockey Federation chief KPS Gill had promised me a long-term contract if we reached the semifinal. After the Champions Trophy when the press was asking why we did not get a medal, Gill started thinking. I was annoyed,” he recalled.

But the bitterness is forgotten now and Rach wishes to be back with the Indian team, which currently has Spaniard Jose Brasa as its coach.

“My work was not finished. I want to be back, if given a chance. Don’t forget that India was ranked number five in the world when I left the team,” he said.

Rach became the first foreign coach of the Indian team after he was appointed to the top job just a few days before the Athens Olympics.

His stint was littered with controversies, starting from the Olympics when the players accused him of forcing them to play defensively as against their natural attacking style.

His dubious past only added to the list of controversies. He allegedly faced 30 criminal charges relating to fraud, forgery and tax evasion in Germany and was even sent to prison for eight months.

But the IHF stood by him then and defended its decision to appoint the hitherto little-known entity in world hockey.

Rach was also believed to be instrumental in the ousting of players like Dhanraj Pillay and Baljit Singh Dhillon from the team and had even stated that there was no place for stars in the team.

Looking back at his eventful tenure, Rach said, “The problem in India is that it is not a country, it’s like a continent. Therefore, the Federation needs to be strongly organised to avoid politics.”

Rach also felt that the current administrative turmoil in Indian hockey would impact the players much.

“I don’t think that it will affect the team. For the player, it doesn’t matter who is the ruler. They are like soldiers doing their duty, no matter who the ruler is,” he said.

On how he rated India’s chances in the upcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games, Rach said he doesn’t keep track of the team.

“I am far away from the current Indian team. So, I can’t tell you how the players and chief coach Jose Brasa is performing. I was following the World Cup by results only, so I can’t assess the team on that basis,” he said.