2 min readUpdated: May 13, 2026 06:18 PM IST
Former double Olympic medalist India goalie PR Sreejesh on Wednesday said that his stint as coach of the junior men’s hockey team was seemingly coming to an end after just 1.5 years. The reason behind his removal, he stated, was because of the appointment of a foreign coach.
“It’s seems like My coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played 5 tournaments and secured 5 podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal. I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances. But this is the first time I am experiencing being removed to make way for a foreign coach,” Sreejesh posted on X on Wednesday.
“The Hockey India President stated that the chief coach of the senior men’s team prefers a foreign head coach for the junior team, believing it will help develop Indian hockey from the junior level through to the senior level. Hence, the continued preference for foreign coaches — Can’t Indian coaches develop Indian hockey? On 07-03-2026, during a meeting with the Hon’ble Sports Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya, I was told, “Sreejesh, we need coaches like you to step up and lead our country as we prepare for 2036.” However, Hockey India continues to place its trust in foreign coaches over Indian ones across all four teams,” he added.
It’s seems like My coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years, during which we played 5 tournaments and secured 5 podium finishes, including a Junior World Cup bronze medal.
I have heard about coaches getting fired after bad performances.
But this is the first time I am…— sreejesh p r (@16Sreejesh) May 13, 2026
After his appointment as coach in 2024, Sreejesh had a successful stint with the Indian junior men’s team, helping them win a bronze medal at the FIH Junior World Cup last year in Tamil Nadu where they defeated Argentina 4-2 to end on the podium.
Before retiring as a goalkeeper for India, Sreejesh had been under the post for two Olympic bronze medal winning campaigns for the Indian hockey team: Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024. Sreejesh made his India debut in 2006 and served the national team for almost two decades in 336 games.
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