The Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Terry Walsh resigned from the post, citing difficulty in working under the present system of governance.
The resignation, however, is subject to further talks between the parties concerned in the next one month, but the blame game has already begun.
Walsh, who took charge of the team exactly a year ago, led India to its only third Asian Games title recently at Incheon, securing a berth at the 2016 Olympics. However, despite visible improvements during his tenure, Walsh had been under constant pressure. It was said he was close to losing his job after India’s disappointing performance at the World Cup earlier this year.
“I am finding considerable difficulty adjusting to the decision-making style of the sporting bureaucracy in India which I believe, in the long term, is not in the best interests of Indian hockey or its players,” Walsh wrote in his resignation letter to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) director-general Jiji Thomson.
“The entire issue is about the decision-making process in Indian bureaucracy. I find it difficult to work in a professional manner in this system. We are now at a place where we are seeing if we can adjust the way it operates. But there are issues that we have to solve if we have to go forward,” Walsh said. He, however, ruled out any monetary dispute with SAI.
Constrained
Team sources claimed Walsh had sounded out a few senior players on Monday night, saying he would not like to continue if, as coach, he was not allowed to even name his final team selection without permission from the federation.
Walsh, with a contract that runs till Olympics, said, “As of now, my tenure ends on November 19, 2014. If things do change then yes (I can think of continuing) but as it presently exists, no.”
Asked what changes he was looking at, Walsh said, “The High Performance Group should have a greater say in what happens, when and how, and the flexibility to change them according to the team’s requirements. I am not looking at any special favours but if I cannot arrange something that is needed (as mundane as ice for players), then what’s the point,” Walsh said.
Hockey India (HI) President Narinder Batra lamented that the resignation was only the culmination of the long-drawn harassment by government and SAI officials. “This is not the first time this has happened neither will it be the last. I have repeatedly said that the officials are trying to kill hockey in the country to satisfy their petty egos and now the team will pay the price,” he said.
Thomson hit back, accusing HI of forcing the issue. “Walsh is a gem of a person and one of the top coaches in the world. He expressed anguish regarding working in a suffocating atmosphere in the federation,” he said in a press statement.
Sources at SAI said Walsh was upset with the archaic and dictatorial style of HI and was not interested in continuing. He is also said to have offered to coach online or through correspondence since he was spending too much time away from his family. The immediate option being considered is to give charge of the team to High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans.
Report sought
Surprised at the development, Sports Minister Sarbanand Sonowal sought report on the issue from SAI and his own secretary within 24 hours. “It’s a serious issue. After learning about the development, I have passed on the instructions to SAI Director General and Secretary, Sports Ministry, to explain the cause of the resignation within 24 hours,” Sonowal said.