The contract of Indian men's hockey team head coach Graham Reid, which is set to run until the 2024 Paris Olympics, maybe reevaluated after the World Cup, following the team's unexpected elimination before the quarterfinal round.
"Look, I have signed the contract through Paris (Olympics). But, you know, we will be reviewing, I assume, at the end of this (World Cup). But the next game is what I am focussing on," Reid said when asked if he will commit to the team through to the Asian Games this year.
The Indian team suffered a huge backlash after its loss to New Zealand in a penalty shootout in the crossover match in Bhubaneswar on January 22 with some hockey legends of the country blaming Reid for the debacle. At the post-match press conference after India demolished Asian Games champions Japan 8-0 in an inconsequential classification match here on Thursday, Reid, who was appointed head coach in 2019, himself said his contract will be up for review.
When he addressed a press conference in Bhubaneswar after the loss to New Zealand, Reid did not given any hints about leaving his job. "After these two classification matches, we have Pro League matches against Germany and Australia and then we have a test series against Australia. But our focus is on the next match," he had said.
Hockey India president and former captain Dilip Tirkey has also not said much when asked if there will be changes in the position of coach or captain. "We will see later. The World Cup is going on and any discussion on that is not appropriate," he had told PTI.
It is common for contracts to be reviewed after a major tournament, but what is significant is that Reid did not agree to lead the team at the Asian Games set for September this year. India will play South Africa in the 9th to 12th classification match on Saturday.
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(Inputs PTI)
