HI chief Tirkey says ‘not thinking anything’ about coach Schopman right now

Ranchi, Jan 19 (PTI) Indian women’s team’s chief coach Janneke Schopman might be staring at an uncertain future after the side’s failure to qualify for the Paris Olympics but Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey said on Friday they are “not thinking anything” about the coach right now.

There have been rumours that Schopman, whose contract was till the Olympics, might face the boot after India lost to Japan 0-1 in the third-fourth place match of the FIH Qualifiers here on Friday and failed to secure a ticket to Paris.

But Tirkey said the national body is in no mood to take any hasty decision as the team has shown immense progress under the Dutch.

“No, now we are not thinking anything about the coach. Some important tournaments are lined up like the Pro League, which is very important for us. World’s best eight teams are playing in the Pro League. So the focus is on that now,” Tirkey said.

“It is disappointing that we couldn’t qualify but, as far I am concerned, the coach is doing a good job.

“We can see improvement and development in the team,” he added.

Schopman was Sjoerd Marijne’s assistant at the Tokyo Olympics, where India finished a creditable fourth.

After Marijne’s departure, Schopman took over the reigns of the team but she faced some flak after the Indian women failed to book a direct ticket to Paris through the Asian Games, where they finished third by beating Japan 2-1 in the bronze medal contest.

Source: PTI News

SHARE:

Share The Article:

Leave A Reply