India hockey legendn PR Sreejesh is not holding back after the shoddy performance by the men’s and women’s teams in the . Neither side failed to make it to the semis.
Both the men and women crashed out in the second round in Netherlands and Belgium respectively.
A Legend Looking for Accountability
Sreejesh questioned the performance of the teams and asked if the motive is even there to build a strong team. The legendary goalkeeper wondered if anyone even cared or did the World Cup no longer matter. It was a justified rant as India had no excuse to do badly in any of the tournaments.
© X/International Hockey Federation
What Did PR Sreejesh Have to Say?
“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter. 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. Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World Cup – and the girls still fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit to the players. But where is the accountability? Do we really expect a team to perform at its best when the chief coach is away during the final phase of preparation?” he wrote on X.
“Men’s team loses to a top team → “It’s a learning experience. Beats an Asian team → “Great victory.” Plays good hockey → “Good performance.” But here’s the uncomfortable question: Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?,” he also wrote.
“Stop hiding behind “learning”, “good hockey” and future tournaments. 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,” he added.
PR Sreejesh’s Legacy
Sreejesh represented India from 2006 to 2024 and played 336 games. He was part of the sides that won an Olympic bronze medal in Tokyo and Paris. He is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers of all time and certainly India’s best. The 38-year-old sweated it out for his team and is no doubt sad to see the sorry state of affairs at the moment.