By IANS,
New Delhi: India’s new hockey coach Jose Manuel Brasa thinks that acting coach Harendra Singh has done a good job of managing the Indian team in the last couple of months and he should see it through the Asia Cup at Kuantan in Malaysia.
The Spaniard, who is leaving for the Malaysian city Tuesday to join the Indian squad after taking over as national coach, said he would only be observing the players at the tournament.
“Harendra has done a good job and he should continue his work at the Asia Cup. I would not like to interfere in his work and he is free to do whatever he wants with the team. I will interact with him as well as players to get a first hand knowledge about the team,” Brasa told reporters here Tuesday.
Under Harendra, the team has performed well, finishing runner-up in the Punjab Gold Cup in India and then winning the Azlan Shah trophy in Malaysia last month after 13 years.
Harendra would continue to be with the team as assistant coach.
The Indian hockey team was without a chief coach after Joaquim Carvalho resigned in March last year after India failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.
Ric Charlesworth was the technical adviser of the team on the recommendation of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) but his stint was all too brief as he had to quit under controversial circumstances after a blow-up with the officials of the Sports Authority of India and the IOA.