DNA Exclusive | I knew this was coming: Roelant Oltmans on being sacked by Hockey India

You gave a presentation on the road ahead for Indian hockey on Thursday, and a couple of days later, you have been sacked. Your reaction...

To be completely honest, I saw it coming. Especially during the meetings we had in Delhi, for me it was quite clear. I'd already informed some people around me that this is going to happened. So, I'm not shocked. I know it's part of the process when you work as a hockey coach in India. There has to come a moment when you'll be sacked, and now it was my time. Like it was Terry's (Walsh) time, Paul's (Van Ass) time, (Ric) Charlesworth's time, (Jose) Brasa's time. The trend has just continued. I have to accept that. So, it's OK. Let's see what they do now to better the team's performance.

But with you being given a four-year contract last year, one thought that the trend was going to change, isn't it?

Look, they made a decision in New Delhi, I am sitting in Bangalore. I don't know what exactly they're thinking. But it's a case of different opinions and different thinking about the road ahead for Indian hockey. That's for sure.

Is this a case of lack of patience and a lack of vision for the long-term improvement of Indian hockey?

Maybe they do have a vision, and that vision is different from my vision. That's possible. What I'm told is that they could not accept that we lost to Canada and Malaysia in the World Hockey League Semi-Finals (in June-July). I think they lack sense when they say things like that, because instead of looking into a process, they're looking at two results. More so when I clearly said at the beginning of the year that the targets of 2017 are the Asia Cup (in October), where we want to win a gold medal, and the World Hockey League Final (in December), where we want to win a bronze medal. And these tournaments are yet to be played. So yes, in that way, it is surprising that people are taking decisions that they take. But, it's alright. They took it. And I will accept it, don't worry. Probably I'll come back as coach of Pakistan (laughs) … I'm just joking.

Knowing that getting results is paramount in Indian hockey, did you feel the decision of experimenting, blooding in youngsters and trying out different combinations was a risk?

Listen, it wasn't a risk. I really thought that some youngsters deserved a chance. I train 10-12 times a week with the players, and for 275-300 days a year. So, me and my coaching staff have a reasonable idea about the progress of the players. That is one of the things that I have been arguing about with a lot of people in India. Because I think they need to take into consideration that when there are good youngsters, they deserve a chance. Sometimes, the number can be too many, but you need to accept the fact that during such times, your results might be a bit less. But even then, in our last tour (to Europe in August), we took a lot of youngsters, and we had good results against Holland. We lost twice to Belgium, but we beat Holland twice. It was an indication that we were in the right direction. It was a good result for us, and a lot of people needed to understand that. I do, because I've worked at the top level in hockey for more than 35 years. I don't think many people in India can say that.

Given the fact that you were handed a contact till the 2020 Tokyo Games, did you expect to be shown the door so soon despite some negative results over the last couple of months?

Well, the interesting past is that you decide to give someone a contract till 2020, after he has already worked for you for four years (Oltmans came in as high performance director in 2013). And then, after the first moment of disappointment, you decide to sack him. So yes, that's strange. But in India, it doesn't seem strange. That is what it is. It's not strange to do this in India. Look at Paul, look at Terry, look at Charlesworth, look at Brasa. We can continue. So maybe, they really need to think about how to do things differently now.

You're the longest foreigner to have been associated with Indian hockey, coming in as high performance director in 2013 and taking over head coach in 2015. Are you disappointed it had to end this way?

Of course, you don't want a relationship to finish in such a way. I believe that if you want to end a relationship, then you can, there's no problem. But I'm not happy with the moment at which they chose to end this relationship. So yes, I'm a bit disappointed but at the same time, I also felt that it was coming. I was prepared for it.

In sports nowadays, in the positions that we're at, when results don't come according to the expectations of your bosses or employers or whatever, then this can happen. It's part of our lives. I knew it the moment I signed up in India.

From a 12th-place finish at the 2012 London Olympics to being No. 6 in the world right now, the team has shown steady improvement over the last five years. Do you believe Indian hockey was headed in the right director under you, and will continue to do so?

Yes. I absolutely believe that. The team still has room for improvement, and the position where we're in right now, we will rise from that in the near future. The team has the quality to be a medal contender in the (2018) World Cup. I also said that they will be a medal contender in the World Hockey League Finals, and will win at least 50 per cent of the tournaments they play in Asia.

About 2018, I'm a bit concerned now, because I think that for further development, playing in the Pro Hockey League was an important part of it. India withdrew from that, which means you can't play around 16-18 matches per year against top teams in the year that you can't play. And that's a huge number. So, I believe that's what India will miss, but hopefully I'm wrong and the players will also continue their progress after 2018 World Cup.

Having been in India for so long, what's you advice to the powers that be in Indian hockey?

You know, that is not my concern anymore. It's upto Hockey India, SAI (Sports Authority of India) and the sports ministry to take the right decisions. But I can imagine that SAI and the sports ministry will have some questions for Hockey India. Because this is the fifth time that a coach has been sacked before the end of his contract. So, if I was the person who was paying the money for this, I would surely look into this, because all the funding is coming from sports ministry and SAI.

What are your plans now? Heading to Pakistan was a joke, right?

(Laughs) Yes. My plans right now is to complete the notice that is mentioned my contract. I need to respect that. And after that, I'll go home. I'll probably take a little break after four-and-a-half hectic years in India. In that break, I'll have the time and opportunity to think about my future. For sure, it will be in sports because I've been in sports since I was 24. That's 40 years. So, being involved in sports for sure, but in what way is something that I'll have to think about.

And do you wish to continue coaching?

Well, that is one possibility. There are many, and one of the things I would really like to place an emphasis is is on junior development. I think that is one of the most important things in hockey if you want to have long-term success. I mentioned it in the couple of meetings we had in Delhi, that in India so far, especially at the age of 10-14, there is no youth development at all. Same is the case with my country. So, that's one area that I see myself getting involved in.