New hockey coach to be named soon, may join camp in Bangalore

NEW DELHI: The toss-up will be between a refined, vibrant version of the classical 5-3-2-1 formation that India employed during their reign at the top and the solid European efficiency as India zero in on their next chief hockey coach.

The new coach will be finalised in a day or two and he may possibly join the team at the camp in Bangalore beginning July 1 but before that both Sports Authority of India and the Union sports ministry will have to come to a consensus about what India need in the next five years, what they stand to get from the new coach and at what cost.

SAI director general Desh Deepak Verma said the term of the coach would be until the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. This is the first time a coach, foreign or desi, is being allowed the luxury of time. That, obviously, is a result of the introspection and the brainstorming sessions the ministry has had with SAI and Hockey India in the recent months. The Champions Trophy in December this year and the Olympic qualifiers in February 2012 too will be of importance but what has also been emphasized is the system that the coach will have to put in place at the grassroots.

“The term of the coach will be till 2016 Olympics. There will be performance-based incentive and the performance will be reviewed after every event,” Verma told reporters here after three candidates for the post made their presentations to a committee comprising SAI and Hockey India (HI) officials at the SAI centre.

Dutch hockey guru Roelant Oltmans, twice Olympic and World Cup champion Jacques Brinkman and former Australian centre half Michael Nobbs are in the running for the job after they were shortlisted by a hockey development committee headed by former skipper Pargat Singh.

It will be India’s fourth foreign coach after German Gerhard Peter Rach (2004), Australian veteran Ric Charlesworth (2008) and Spain’s Jose Brasa (2009-10).

“The three coaches made their presentations today and we have zeroed in on one of the three candidates. We will be sending the recommendation to the government and the announcement will be made in a couple of days,” said Verma.

Although Verma refused to disclose the remuneration, he hinted that the new coach will be paid slightly more than the last coach, Brasa. The sports ministry has raised the monthly remuneration for foreign coaches from $5000 to $7500 in the lead up to the 2012 London Games.

Oltmans said his past experience as the coach of Pakistan national team will hold him in good stead with the Indian team. “I am aware that India is targeting an Olympic berth. But to put Indian hockey back on track, a long-term programme is needed. Only with consistent performance, Indian hockey can move upwards. The players, coaches, officials, all have to work in tandem. And having worked with the Pakistani team, I am aware of the Asian style of hockey,” he said.

Brinkman, who once trained under Oltmans, said the Indian team has to work hard to bridge the gap between top teams. “We have got about 200 days left for qualifying. We have to train really hard. But don’t forget their technical skills. They can be a surprise element in London Olympics. I will try to refine them mentally and physically,” he said.

Nobbs, who was the first to make the presentation, also advocated a long-term programme for Indian hockey. “India has got potential. It needs a system to be created and needs a long-term programme. I will try be bring India back to number one,” said Nobbs.