Days after levelling grave allegations against Hockey India, the national women's hockey team chief coach Janneke Schopman resigned on Friday, February 23, 2024. Her exit follows a disappointing FIH Pro League 2023-24 home season for the Indian team, which was preceded by a failure to seal a Paris Olympics spot at the Qualifiers in Ranchi last month. (More Hockey News)
Schopman had said five days back that she was not valued and respected enough by the national federation. "I felt alone a lot in the last two years. I come from a culture where women are respected and valued. I don't feel that here," she had said.
"Coming from the Netherlands, having worked in the USA, this country is extremely difficult as a woman. Coming from a culture where you can have an opinion and it's valued. It's really hard."
Hockey India had meanwhile denied preferential treatment for the men's team and its coaches, asserting that all the coaches were equal for them.
The Dutch coach had taken charge of the women's team in 2021 from Sjoerd Marine, who had mentored the side to a historic fourth position at the Tokyo Olympics.
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Schopman had joined the Indian women's team in January 2020 as analytical coach under Marijne. Her contract was supposed to end in August this year after the Paris Olympics, but following her recent critical comments, her tenure came to a premature end.
Hockey India stated that the 46-year-old coach tendered her resignation to its president Dilip Tirkey after the conclusion of the team's outing in the home leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Odisha.
The Indian team did fairly well under Schopman, winning 38, drawing 17 and losing 19 matches out of the 74 they played. The title victory at Asian Champions Trophy 2023 remains the team's best performance under her. But the failure to qualify for the Paris Games came as a major dampener.
(With PTI inputs)
