NEW DELHI: There is growing concern in Indian sports administration circles that the promising gains made by the country’s women’s hockey team over the years might get lost in the latest players-coach standoff. Head coach Harendra Singh’s exit from the national setup amid allegations of mental harassment, outdated coaching methods and favouritism, has prompted the sports ministry to step in and defuse the crisis. It has directed the Sports Authority of India’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) division and senior administrators at the SAI run regional centre in Bengaluru, where both the hockey teams train, to hold discussions with senior and key members of the women’s team. The aim is to understand the reasons behind the uprising against Harendra, assess its fallout, end any groupism and douse the simmering tensions within the team to avoid such ugly episodes in the future. “We want the women’s hockey team to solely focus on their preparations and games, rather than getting involved in such players-coach politics. We have all been there to help them and provide the best of training facilities, funding, exposure trips, international competitions and coaching,” an official told TOI.However, the ministry officials admitted that HI mishandled and misunderstood the entire situation, when the federation should have played a far more proactive role. “His resignation should have been handled in a gracious way. He left after realising there’s no one in the federation to support his coaching ideas. One can’t let the internal politics win,” another official added. The ministry understands that the next year is important for Indian hockey with Asian Games and World Cup lined up.
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