India hockey legend P. R. Sreejesh has publicly questioned Hockey India after the federation decided not to renew his contract as chief coach of the junior men’s team, despite the side ending a decade-long wait for a medal at the Junior World Cup.
Sreejesh, who took over the junior setup shortly after retiring following the 2024 Summer Olympics, revealed that his contract had expired in December 2025 and was not extended. Under his guidance, the Indian junior side played five tournaments and finished on the podium in all five, including securing bronze at the Junior World Cup held in India — the country’s first medal in the competition since winning the title in 2016.
In a strongly-worded social media post, Sreejesh expressed disappointment over the decision and questioned why Indian coaches were not being trusted with bigger responsibilities.
“It seems like my coaching career comes to an end after 1.5 years,” he wrote, adding that this was the first time he had experienced “being removed to make way for a foreign coach.”
Speaking further, Sreejesh said Dilip Tirkey had informed him that senior team chief coach Craig Fulton preferred a foreign coach for better coordination between the junior and senior teams. Sreejesh questioned why such coordination could not happen with an Indian coach.
He also challenged Hockey India’s reasoning regarding coaching experience. According to Sreejesh, he was initially handed the role despite having no prior coaching background, only to later be told that the federation now needed someone more experienced.
Late on Wednesday, Hockey India issued a statement denying that Fulton influenced the decision. The federation clarified that Sreejesh’s contract had officially ended in December 2025 and that a fresh recruitment process was conducted through applications and merit-based selection.
The federation added that Sreejesh had been offered a role with the development team to continue building his coaching experience, but he declined the offer.
While Hockey India has not officially announced a replacement, sources indicate that French coach Aymeric Bergamo is the preferred candidate. Bergamo guided France to third place at the 2021 Junior World Cup and has since worked with several European club teams.
Sreejesh also pointed to former India player Shivendra Singh, who has served with the senior national setup for years as an assistant coach, arguing that Indian coaches are repeatedly denied opportunities to progress despite delivering results.
