- PR Sreejesh questioned the importance given to the Hockey World Cup.
- His comments came after India’s disappointing World Cup campaign.
- Sreejesh urged the management to take major tournaments more seriously.
Former Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh has lashed out at the administration of hockey in India in light of the serious failure of the country to perform well at the 2026 FIH Men's Hockey World Cup.
He has asked why no one has been held accountable for the team's failure in this event.
Sreejesh who is among the most successful players in the sport in India and is now associated with the national team took to social media to voice his displeasure regarding the way the failure of the World Cup is being treated.
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In a strongly worded post, Sreejesh assures that everyone is considering this World Cup failure as nothing to worry about since there are still the Asian Games to beat as the next big hurdle.
“Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter,” Sreejesh wrote, before pointing towards the upcoming Asian Games and adding that winning a medal there could allow India to start dreaming about the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
This statement has been made following the disappointing exit of India from the World Cup after losing 5-3 to Argentina.
Sreejesh Questions Accountability
The former India goalkeeper also questioned the preparation and leadership surrounding the women’s team, pointing to the absence of the chief coach during the final phase before the World Cup.
Don’t worry… the World Cup doesn’t matter. 🤡
— sreejesh p r (@16Sreejesh) August 24, 2026
The Asian Games are coming. Win a medal 🥇 there, and then we can start dreaming about LA 2028. Apparently, that’s enough to cover everything that went wrong at the World Cup.
Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World…
“Women’s chief coach on holiday just before the World Cup, and the girls still fought their hearts out and exceeded expectations. Credit to the players. But where is the accountability?” he wrote.
‘Are We Building A Team To Win Against The Best?’
Sreejesh also turned his attention towards the narrative surrounding the men’s team, questioning whether India’s performances are being judged against the right benchmark.
He pointed out how defeats against top teams are often described as “learning experiences”, while victories against Asian opponents are celebrated as major achievements.
The former goalkeeper then posed a crucial question: Are India building a team that simply plays good hockey, or one capable of beating the best teams in the world?
The statement comes after India’s inconsistent campaign, where the team showed moments of quality but struggled to deliver when the pressure was at its highest.
India head coach Craig Fulton himself admitted after the Argentina defeat that the team needed to perform better in the biggest matches. Fulton acknowledged that India played better hockey during the final stages of the Argentina game but said the improvement came too late.
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‘The World Cup Is Not A Rehearsal’
Sreejesh was particularly critical of what he sees as a tendency to use phrases such as “learning experience”, “good hockey” and references to future tournaments to explain disappointing results.
“Stop hiding behind ‘learning’, ‘good hockey’ and future tournaments,” he wrote.
“The World Cup is not a rehearsal. It is the World Cup.”