CHENNAI : When Sjoerd Marijne was appointed coach of India’s men’s hockey team, one of the first questions he was asked was about the very nature of the job he was stepping into. “Hockey India (HI) has a history of sacking foreign coaches. Did that cross your mind before saying yes?”It had crossed his mind. “In that sense, I’m not worried,” he had told this newspaper. “I won’t lose energy thinking about things that I can’t control.”
It’s obvious that Marijne holds this principle quite close to his heart. He even has it as a quote on his Twitter header image. “Don’t stress over things you can’t change,” it says. That trait must have come in handy on Friday. Even when reports of his sacking was doing the rounds, Marijne maintained radio silence. Those reports seem a touch exaggerated as HI, it has been learnt, are yet to arrive at a final decision.
After a meeting earlier this week for discussing this matter, HI had scheduled another over the weekend. But Express has not been able to verify whether the said meeting took place on Saturday. All indications are that HI will arrive at a decision sometime next week, possibly after new skipper PR Sreejesh addresses the media on Tuesday.
One coach who may receive a call if HI decides to do away with Marijne is Harendra Singh, the current women’s coach. Harendra, who has improved the women’s team since September, is perceived as a safe choice because of his knowledge of the group.