CHENNAI: Pakistan were finally beginning to resemble a team. New man Roelant Oltmans had instilled a sense of discipline after taking over the side just before the Commonwealth Games. A shock 4-1 Champions Trophy win over Olympic champs Argentina in June showed whatever the Dutchman was doing was working. Slowly but surely. So why did he decide to walk away after just six months?
The 64-year-old took the decision as factors in Pakistan weren’t right. In an exclusive interview with Express, he also touched upon his new assignment with Malaysia, joining hands with Terry Walsh again after more than four years and whether he would consider coming back to India. Excerpts...
Why he quit Pakistan after only six months
Factors that need to be there to bring the team to the desired level is lacking. Hopefully they will be able to change that because I must say that I had a fantastic time with the group of players at my disposal. They first need to solve too many things before thinking about hiring foreign experts to help them reach the level they want.
Why he picked Malaysia
Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) clearly mentioned that the main target is not the World Cup but qualifying for the Olympics, the qualifiers of which will be in a year. By next year, hopefully, we can bring the team to the required level. The one good thing is that the rest of the staff and the management is still the same. Luckily, there is already a lot of information available thanks to the coaches who have been involved with the team so that combination made me accept the job before the World Cup.
Working with Walsh again (the pair worked together in India four years ago)
Laughs, we are used to working together. My contract is till the Olympics so I will definitely stay beyond the World Cup. What I can say about Terry (currently high performance director of MHC) is that during our time in India, he was very cooperative. I am happy that he is there and I think he is also happy that I am here. While he’ll look after the junior team as it the job of the high performance director, maybe I can also chip in and be involved.
Whether Japan can surprise at Asian Champions Trophy and World Cup
That’s a very interesting question. I don’t think anybody expected them to win the Asian Games after seeing how they went about their business in the group matches (against India, they lost 0-8). But the main thing with them is that they are not really consistent when you compare them with the likes of Australia or Netherlands or Germany. But they will continue to grow as a team over the next two years and could become a hard side to beat by the time Tokyo 2020 comes around.
Coming back to India
At this moment, I will not accept it (there are rumours that Oltmans is going to be approached by Hockey India for the role of high performance director). I am contracted to the MHC till after the Olympics. Maybe afterwards when I am free and if that comes up again, I will consider it at that moment.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com