‘Does anyone actually care?’: Sreejesh launches scathing attack after India’s World Cup exit
Two-time Olympic bronze medallist and former India goalkeeper P. R. Sreejesh has launched a scathing attack on the Indian hockey management after both the men’s and women’s teams failed to reach the semifinals of their respective World Cups.The men’s campaign ended on Monday with a 3-5 defeat against Argentina at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. India will now play Belgium in the seventh-place classification match.India’s hopes of reaching the semifinals had already taken a major blow after a 1-3 defeat to co-hosts Netherlands on Saturday. Against Argentina, India needed a win to stay in contention but their defensive frailties and failure to convert chances proved costly.Argentina took the lead just 36 seconds into the contest when Joaquin Toscani punished an error by Jarmanpreet Singh, who failed to intercept a ball across the goalmouth. Nicolas della Torre doubled the advantage in the sixth minute, converting Argentina’s second penalty corner.Sukhjeet Singh gave India a lifeline in the 10th minute, but they were unable to capitalise on their chances in the second quarter. Tomas Domene restored Argentina’s two-goal cushion in the 33rd minute before completing his brace with a penalty stroke in the 45th. Lucas Toscani then made it 5-2.Sukhjeet scored again in the 58th minute and Hardil Singh reduced the deficit further a minute later, but India could not complete the comeback.India also wasted all seven of their penalty corners, once again exposing their struggles to convert opportunities. Despite enjoying possession, they failed to produce enough end product.Sreejesh, who retired after the Paris Olympics, took to X after India’s exits and questioned the approach and accountability within Indian hockey.“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter.“The Asian Games are coming. Win a medal there, and then we can start dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that’s enough to cover everything that went wrong at the World Cup.“Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World Cup — and the girls still fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit to the players. But where is the accountability? Do we really expect a team to perform at its best when the chief coach is away during the final phase of preparation?“Men’s team loses to a top team → ‘It’s a learning experience.’Beats an Asian team → ‘Great victory.’Plays good hockey → ‘Good performance.’“But here’s the uncomfortable question: Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?“Stop hiding behind ‘learning’, ‘good hockey’ and future tournaments. The World Cup is not a rehearsal. It is the World Cup.“So who is going to ask the difficult questions? Who is going to demand accountability? And most importantly… Does anyone actually care?”Sreejesh had previously questioned the quality of Indian coaching after his tenure as the junior men’s team coach was not renewed. He had guided the side to a bronze medal at last year’s Junior World Cup.The women’s team had also missed out on a semifinal place after being held to a goalless draw by Australia in their final second-round match on Sunday. The result sent Australia through to the last four on the basis of having scored more goals.With both Indian teams failing to reach the semifinals, Sreejesh’s comments have added to the scrutiny over India’s ability to consistently compete with the world’s leading hockey nations.
