PR Sreejesh questions India’s accountability after the men’s hockey team crashed out of the 2026 World Cup without reaching the semifinals.
Former India hockey captain and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has sharply questioned the accountability of the men’s national team and its administrators after India suffered another disappointing exit from the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 in Amstelveen.
India failed to reach the semifinals after losing both of their Stage 2 matches in Pool E. The team suffered a 1-3 defeat against the Netherlands before going down 3-5 to Argentina on Monday, ending their campaign without a medal.
Sreejesh, who has been one of the prominent voices in Indian hockey, expressed his frustration over the team’s performance and questioned whether stakeholders were doing enough to address the problems within the setup. In a strongly worded post on X, formerly known as Twitter, he suggested that the upcoming Asian Games could be used to shift attention away from the World Cup disappointment.
“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter,” Sreejesh wrote sarcastically. He then referred to the Asian Games, saying that winning a medal there could once again lead to discussions about India’s preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
His comments came after India struggled to make a significant impact in the crucial Stage 2 matches of the World Cup. Despite entering the tournament with expectations of competing strongly against the world’s leading teams, India were unable to secure the results required to advance to the semifinals.
Sreejesh also compared the men’s team’s situation with the performance of the Indian women’s side. He praised the women players for exceeding expectations despite their chief coach, Sjoerd Marijne, leaving the camp for a holiday ahead of the major tournament.
“Credit to the players. But where is the accountability?” Sreejesh questioned, raising concerns over the timing of the coach’s absence during the final stage of preparations.
He further questioned whether a team could realistically be expected to perform at its highest level when its chief coach was away during such an important period.
The former goalkeeper also took aim at what he described as a pattern of explanations used following the men’s team’s results. According to Sreejesh, defeats against strong international opponents are often described as “learning experiences”, while victories over Asian teams are celebrated as major achievements.
He questioned whether Indian hockey was genuinely building a side capable of defeating the strongest teams in the world or merely focusing on producing performances that look positive on paper.
“Are we building a team to PLAY good hockey, or a team capable of WINNING against the best in the world?” he asked.
Sreejesh stressed that the World Cup should not be treated as a rehearsal for future tournaments. For him, the failure to reach the semifinals represents a significant result that requires serious examination rather than being dismissed as part of a longer-term learning process.
“Stop hiding behind ‘learning’, ‘good hockey’ and future tournaments. The World Cup is not a rehearsal. It is the World Cup,” he wrote.
His comments have added to the scrutiny surrounding Indian hockey following another World Cup campaign without a medal. The Indian men’s team has now once again fallen short of the latter stages of the competition, raising questions about its ability to consistently challenge the leading hockey nations at major global events.
Sreejesh, who was recently removed from his position as chief coach of the junior men’s team, concluded his post by asking who would take responsibility for the team’s shortcomings.
“So who is going to ask the difficult questions? Who is going to demand accountability? And most importantly… Does anyone actually care?” he wrote.
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The remarks are likely to intensify the debate over India’s hockey administration, coaching structure and long-term preparations. With the Asian Games and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle ahead, Indian hockey stakeholders now face renewed pressure to address the concerns raised after another disappointing World Cup campaign.
The immediate challenge will be to ensure that future tournaments are not simply viewed as opportunities to recover from setbacks, but as stages where India can consistently compete for medals against the world’s best teams.
