Hockey coach Brasa wants more power in team selection

New Delhi, March 19 (IANS) Chief hockey coach Jose Brasa Thursday made it clear that the chief coach should get more powers in running the national team.

Brasa said there was no need for a selection committee and it is the chief coach who should select all players, including the captain.

"The head coach should be the general director of the national team having full control of everything. The coach should handle selection of players, selection of support staff, and selection of the captain - and should also do the annual plan," Brasa said.

"No one knows better than the coach who should be the captain," he said, referring to Indian team's captaincy drama prior to the World Cup.

Brasa fell out with the selection committee over the appointment of Rajpal Singh as the national captain. Brasa wanted Prabhjot Singh as the captain and four vice-captains -- Adrian D'souza, Deepak Thakur, Arjun Halappa and Rajpal.

On that controversy, Brasa said: "Yes, our suggestion was to make someone else the captain but the selectors thought otherwise."

Following India's dismal eighth-place finish in the World Cup, the Spaniard presented Project India plan to Hockey India (HI) to help the eight-time Olympic champions regain their lost glory.

"I am here to talk positive. I have discussed my plan with Hockey India (HI) and will also discuss it with the SAI (Sports Authority of India) tomorrow," said Brasa.

The coach went on to add that the existence of more than one authority is creating a lot of problems.

"There is more than one authority in Indian hockey, and they should work together," he said.

"Creating a good atmosphere is the need of the hour. In foreign countries, there is just one body which has the control. The sports ministry does have the final authority but they hardly interfere. In India, we have HI and the SAI. It has happened with me that I don't know whom to ask for what," Brasa said.

He also said that India will not participate in the Asian championships, and asked HI to hold the long pending national championships in May and a three-month hockey league from December 2010 to February 2011.

"There should be academies which follow a desired structure where we have four centres for U-14, who will then graduate to two U-18 and then the final centre for U-23 which should be just one in the country," Brasa suggested.

"We also need many articifial hockey pitches in India and besides that the nylon 6.6 astroturf should be there in every state. Hockey India officials tell me that we have 54 such astroturfs but I have also been told that there are just 10-15 of them," he added.

Brasa said it was for the administrators to accept his proposal.

"If we keep the same Indian style, our improvement will be marginal. To make this sport popular, we need sponsors and even the sponsors need results. I am just an employee and have no power. All I can do is to offer my suggestions and it is for the authorities to implement them," he said.