Former goalkeeper Sreejesh blasts at women’s chief coach; demands accountability after India’s Hockey World Cup exit

Former India goalkeeper and two-time Olympic bronze medallist P.R. Sreejesh has launched a strong critique of the national hockey setup after both the men’s and women’s teams failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2026 FIH Hockey World Cups.

Sreejesh took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to voice his frustration and demand accountability. He also accused the women's chief coach of not paying enough attention to the team in the preparations just ahead of the competition.

Former goalkeeper Sreejesh blasts at women’s chief coach; demands accountability after India’s Hockey World Cup exit

In a post on X, Sreejesh dismissed suggestions that the World Cup was secondary to upcoming events. He wrote sarcastically:

“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter.”

Sreejesh added:

“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.”

The men’s team were eliminated from semi-final contention after a 3-5 defeat to Argentina in Amstelveen on Monday, following an earlier loss to the Netherlands. India finished without a point in their second-round pool and will now play for seventh-eighth place. The women’s side also exited after failing to advance.

Sreejesh praised the women’s players for fighting hard despite their chief coach being on holiday during the final phase of preparations, but questioned the lack of accountability. He criticised the tendency to describe losses to stronger teams as mere “learning experiences” while celebrating wins against Asian sides. Sreejesh asked:

“Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?”

The former goalkeeper added:

“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?”

India’s best men’s World Cup performance remains their 1975 title. Sreejesh’s comments have drawn significant attention, reflecting growing frustration over the team’s inability to consistently challenge the world’s top sides.

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