Would like to coach European club teams in near future: Sardar Singh

Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh, who called time on his international career, is planning to coach premier European club teams in near future.

“After taking permission from Hockey India and Haryana government, I will start coaching. I am planning to work with clubs in premier European leagues,” Sardar, who has played in Dutch and German leagues, told mediapersons on Thursday. 

While there has been a demand for foreign coaches in Indian hockey, Sardar admitted that communication is a problem as not every player is fluent in English.

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“Definitely, communication gap does exist at times. During a match, the two-minute break after each quarter is very crucial for the players and during this time, coach is to explain about his analysis of the game. When he (foreign coach) speaks in English, usually there not much time left for translation,” Sardar explained the practical difficulty.

Having confirmed his retirement on Wednesday, Sardar reiterated that he has not been forced into retirement by anyone but admitted that the semi-final loss to Malaysia at the Asian Games was a trigger.

“I had initially thought to play till 2020 Tokyo Games with the kind of fitness I have. But after losing this match (semi-final in Asian games), I talked to coaches and senior players and then I consulted my family members and decided on retirement. It was a tough call but it comes in every player’s life,” Sardar said.

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Asked about team’s semi-final loss at the Asiad, Sardar said: “Before going for the tournament (Asian Games), all players knew that this tournament was very important for them. We knew that semi-final was very important for us. But that particular day, we did not play up to the level at which started the tournament. We played poor hockey during dying moments of the game and it cost us dearly.”

“No team or player wants to lose but it can happen with the best also. Lionel Messi has also missed spot-kicks,” said Sardar.