Player complaints forces Harendra Singh out as India women’s hockey coach after complaints of ‘high-handed’ behaviour: Report

A major controversy has hit the Indian women’s hockey team after coach Harendra Singh tendered a shock resignation late on 1 November (Monday). While the former Asian Games silver medallist, Harendra, cited “personal reasons” in his official resignation letter to Hockey India, it has been reported that he was forced to quit due to complaints against his “behaviour” by senior players to the Union Sports Ministry.

“Coaching the Indian women’s hockey team has been a privilege that has been a highlight of my career. Though personal reasons call me to step away, my heart remains with this extraordinary team and their ongoing success,” Harendra said in the press release by Hockey India announcing his resignation.

But a report in the Indian Express has claimed that Harendra resigned a few days after some senior players of the Indian women’s hockey team complained to the Mansukh Mandaviya-led Sports Ministry over the coach’s “high-handedness” and conveyed their unwillingness to play under him.

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Harendra forced to resign after player complaints

As per the newspaper, this was the second such complaint against Harendra to the ministry. Hockey India launched an investigation after the latest complaint, as President Dilip Tirkey and Secretary-General Bhola Nath Singh held individual meetings with players at the Sports Authority of India’s Bengaluru centre on Monday.

Following the investigation, Hockey India decided to part ways with Harendra rather than have him resign from the post.

“After speaking to the players, Hockey India officials realised that at least half of the team did not want to continue playing under Harendra because of various reasons, ranging from how he handled the team to the rising number of injuries and the poor performances. Hence, it was decided to part ways with him before the situation deteriorated further,” sources said.

A senior player told the Indian Express that the team environment had gone from “bad to worse” under Harendra.

“Roughly 10-11 players are facing injury of one or the other kind and they were asked to hide them. A few players sensed a culture of favouritism, which created a bad team environment. All this had a negative impact on the team’s performance,” the player told IE.

Harendra was appointed the coach of the Indian women’s hockey team after they failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024. He led the team to the Asian Champions Trophy victory last year, but the recent form has not been good. After winning just two out of 16 matches and finishing last, they were demoted from the FIH Pro League. They also lost to China in the final of the Asia Cup.