Last Update: February 02, 2023, 19:17 IST
Indian men’s hockey team (Photo Credits: TW/TheHockeyIndia)
Hockey India is in talks with two to three potential foreign names after the post fell vacant following the resignation of Australian Reid following a joint ninth-place finish at the FIH World Cup 2023.
Recently, Max Caldas of Argentina and Dutchman Siegfried Aikman are in contention to replace Graham Reid as the head coach of the Indian men’s hockey team. World Cup debacle, sources in hockey India Said.
According to a HI source, the federation is in talks with two to three potential foreign names after the position fell vacant following the resignation of Australian Reid following their joint ninth-place finish at the FIH World Cup 2023.
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“We expected the team to improve its performance after winning the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics but it all went down the drain. Reid has done a remarkable job and helped India win an Olympic medal, but there has been an alarming decline in the team’s performance since then.
“We are in talks with 2-3 candidates but rest assured that we will bring in the best who can take India to the next level.” It is learned that apart from Caldas, Dutchman Aikman, who has not been paid by the Pakistan Hockey Federation for the past 10 months, is a serious contender for the India job.
When asked if any Indian name would be considered for the position, he replied, ‘Please tell me who do you think is the best coach in India at present. If you give us names, we will definitely consider them.” “The Asian Games are scheduled this year and the next is the Paris Olympics, so whoever comes will have to do well in both the events,” he said. We want the team to do its best in both the tournaments.”
Australian Reid, who joined the national team in April 2019, was part of the Indian team that won a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
But he had to step down after the host nation failed to qualify in the quarter-finals of the World Cup that ended in Odisha last month.
Reid’s tenure was until next year’s Paris Olympics, subject to review after the World Cup.
Not just Reid, his support staff – analytical coach Greg Clarke and scientific advisor Mitchell David Pemberton – also resigned along with him.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)