Sjoerd Marijne’s appointment as men’s head coach defies logic, say hockey stalwarts
Hockey fraternity including three former captains on Thursday expressed shock over the decision to appoint women’s team coach Sjoerd Marijne as head coach of the Indian men’s side, saying the abrupt move “defies logic”.
Marijne was on Thursday named chief coach of the Indian men’s team — a stunning decision given that the Dutchman has no prior experience of handling a senior men’s side. Marijne replaced legendary Roelant Oltmans, who was sacked after a few ordinary performances in the past few months.
Besides, World Cup-winning junior team coach Harendra Singh was appointed High Performance Specialist coach of the senior women’s team. But for India’s only World Cup-winning captain Ajit Pal Singh, Marijne’s elevation was a senseless decision.
“In my opinion the appointment defies logic. This man (Marijne) has never coached a senior men’s team. He hardly knows the players,” said Ajit Pal. “Harendra has been given the women’s team charge but he too has never been involved with the women’s team. The Olympic cycle has already started and they will now take time to settle down,” he said.
Ajit Pal feels Oltmans sacking was “ill-timed”. “Oltmans removal was ill-timed and not graceful. He has given a lot to Indian hockey. Under him the team …read more