Paul van Ass Was Rude, His Contract Not Terminated: Hockey India President Narendra Batra
Paul van Ass, who took over as India's chief hockey coach in January, claims he has been sacked after the World Hockey League semis in Belgium recently.
Hockey India president Narendra Batra has told NDTV on Tuesday that Paul van Ass's behaviour during the World Hockey League semis in Antwerp (Belgium) was unacceptable. India performed poorly in the knockout matches earlier this month and Batra admitted he had an altercation with the Dutch coach who took over in January. (Van Ass Keen To Continue)
"I had an altercation with Paul van Ass and he was very rude to me," Batra said. A strongman in India's sports administration, Batra had a verbal duel with Van Ass during India's match against Malaysia. The coach was upset that the Hockey India president was crossing his limits by slamming the players on the pitch. (No Knowledge Of Paul Van Ass Sacking: Sports Ministry)
Van Ass claimed on Monday that his contract has been terminated by Hockey India. Batra denied this to NDTV. The federation is expected to meet on April 24 to decide the coach's future.
As far as coaches are concerned, Indian hockey has made headlines for the wrong reasons. Australian legend Terry Walsh, under whom India regained the Asian Games gold after 16 years in 2014, left a bitter man and now Van Ass faces an uncertain future. In both cases, the coaches ended with bitter terms with Batra. (Inflated Egos Hurting Indian Hockey: Terry Walsh)
With Rio Olympics a year away, the players have been the worst hit as they have had to adopt various styles of play. At least four foreign coaches starting with Spaniard Jose Brasa and Aussie Michael Nobbs left India on an unhappy note. Each had a distinctive style of play.
The Sports Authority of India, who pays Van Ass's salary, also said the Dutch coach was not fired.