Why did Schopman say she was disrespected only after women’s team didn’t qualify for the Olympics: Hockey India secretary general Bholanath Singh | Hockey News

In less than a week, the women’s hockey team coach and Hockey India’s CEO quit citing similar reasons – difficult working conditions.The first was women’s coach Janneke Schopman, who said it was ‘very, very difficult’ to deal with people in Hockey India. Then, on Tuesday, the body’s CEO Elena Norman too resigned. While she told the Press Trust of India that factionalism within Hockey India was one of the reasons for her quitting, Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey in an email to the board pointed at the ‘difficult working conditions’.
Both Schopman and Norman hailed Tirkey’s support but did not mention the name of the other key office-bearer, the secretary-general Bholanath Singh, who is in the eye of the storm.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Bholanath Singh refuted claims of a rift between him and Tirkey, as Norman suggested, and dismissed Schopman’s allegations of bias against the women’s team.
Excerpts:
How do you react to the two resignations and the claims made?
Whatever is being said is false. The truth is something else.
Then what is the truth, according to you?
Now is not the right time for it. The day I speak… I won’t say anything else. Shanti hai, shanti rehne dijiye (It’s peaceful now, let it remain like that). People say a lot of things about me and Dilip ji, none of which is true. We get along very well.

The women’s team coach, too, said some things before resigning. Wasn’t she respected here for four years? If she felt like that, she could have said it anytime during these four years. But when India didn’t qualify for the Olympics, all these things came up.
The Olympic qualifier was to take place in China, from there we got it to India and held it in Ranchi where people were out in full force to support them. What else can we do? Even after all this if the team can’t qualify, can’t we even ask where we fell short? And whom will we ask, the coach only right?
Kahin kuch na milein toh naariyal kahan phod do, toh Bhola ji k bagal mein jo pathar hai uspar maariye. (When you don’t have anywhere to break a coconut, you hit it on the stone next to Bhola [Shiv] ji).
Where did the team fall short?
Maybe we should have removed the coach before the Asian Games. Or she should have left. Maybe then the team would have qualified. All the players are good. After all, it was more or less the same set of players that finished fourth at the (Tokyo) Olympics.
Is it true that you wanted to sack the coach after the Asian Games and Dilip Tirkey intervened?
Yes, I had clearly told everyone that if she stays, India can never qualify for the Olympics. And I wasn’t saying this. Our selectors, too, were of this opinion.
It is being said the women’s team wanted a psycholog but you initially denied their request.
That is not the truth. The men’s team coach, Craig (Fulton), told me they wanted a psycholog. He selected the same psycholog who was in the team when (former cricket captain MS) Dhoni won the World Cup (in 2011). His per-day rate was high but we decided to go ahead because we didn’t want money to come in the way of performance.
Janneke demanded a psycholog too. She gave the name of some psycholog, who charged the same rate as the men’s team psycholog. So I said this (women’s team) psycholog isn’t of the same level and asked her to revise her fees. When the issue was resolved, the psycholog was on board. It wasn’t an issue.
It hasn’t ever happened – with men’s or women’s teams – that they say a word and we waste a second to get it done. We don’t interfere anywhere. The only thing we want is results.
It’s alleged that you do not have the necessary understanding of hockey since you come from a wrestling background.
(Laughs) In Jharkhand, hockey exed way before I was born. It doesn’t matter whether you are from wrestling or hockey. It’s how you think, what’s your ambition, how will athletes give a good result… that’s the main thing. Planning and system for most sports is almost the same.
So what is your plan for Indian hockey?
When I took over, I wanted the women’s team to qualify for the Olympics and feature in the top five. And from the men’s team, there was a clear expectation of a medal, colour doesn’t matter.
I only care about the Olympics, the Asian Games and the World Cup. At the Asian Games, I hoped both teams would win a gold medal. We did not doubt that the men’s team wouldn’t win gold. Women’s team, we were wary of China (to whom India eventually lost). I won’t lie about that. But in the qualifier that took place in Ranchi, I wasn’t expecting that India would lose to Japan and the USA.
Hockey India must have reviewed what went wrong. What was the assessment?
After looking at all the aspects, I warned (after the Asian Games) that it would be tough for India if this coach stayed.
Was there anything in the review that led you to believe that?
I am a coach, too. Even I know what coaching is, what the systems are.
What’s your experience in coaching?
I was the coach of India’s wrestling team. In 2002-03, of the freestyle India team. I coach even today. What do you think I am? Even I am an India coach!
Will Hockey India have a new CEO?
Dilip Ji and I will sit together and decide that.
And will the women’s team’s new coach be a foreigner or an Indian?
You’ll have to wait and watch. But whatever will happen, it’ll be for the best.
Have you started the process yet?
Yes, I can say the talks are at an advanced stage. Very soon everything will be done.