Jose Brasa

Mumbai: Jose Brasa said Indian hockey needed “help from outside” in the coaching department which, he felt, was the “second biggest” problem facing the game in the country.

The 1992 Olympic gold medal-winning coach, who was appointed the Indian hockey coach last month, also said that he expected less “bureaucracy” and more “support” from the officialdom if he were to continue in the job for the long term.

Brasa spoke to The Telegraph from Pune where he is overseeing the Indian team’s preparatory camp for the upcoming European tour.

The following are excerpts

Q Your first impression of Indian hockey…

A I thought things to be fine when I came to India in February. I expected a bit more in terms of standard. After coming here and watching, I would say that the facilities are good but the organisation bit is bad. It is too bureaucratic.

What about the players, the talent?

In terms of skills, Indians are one of the best, but there is a bit lacking in the basics like passing, ball position, etc. There are some players who believe they are born to defend and others who believe they are born to attack. But in modern hockey, everyone must do everything.

How long do you think it will take for the players to adapt to the new system?

If we had the video cameras to record and do video analysis, which are actually simple things, we can increase the speed of learning. But since we only talk, it is going to be a bit slow.

Does the slow pace of progress annoy you?

I am keen and proud to be in India, but if the Indian officials want me to continue as coach they have to support me in what I am trying to do. It’s been only few days… we’ll see.

There are some here who believe India don’t need a foreign coach…

I think I am here because some people think that they need a foreign coach. From what I have seen in the junior and senior competitions since arriving, I have to say that India need some help from outside. In Europe, every second division team has a video analyser. In India, not one coach knows how to use them.

So, from when can we see the team producing results?

We will not achieve that before Europe (India are to play four Tests against England and two each against Belgium, Spain and Holland from July 24 to August 24) where defence is difficult. The players will be playing for the first time (under the new system), so the results won’t be good. It will be the beginning of a macro cycle. Our aim is to peak in March 2010, not now. Now is the time for learning, not winning.

Next year, the team is going to play the World Cup, the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games…

The World Cup (March, Delhi) will be a bit too soon, but we will fight to get the best result. By the time of the Commonwealth Games (October, Delhi) we should be ready but the Asian Games in November (in Guangzhou, China) is more important. We would like to win gold because that will qualify us for the 2012 London Games.

Were you surprised when India didn’t qualify for the Beijing Games?

No. India have been on the way down for the last 30 years. The lack of quality pitches is the biggest problem. In Mumbai, which has nine crore people there is just one turf. The second biggest problem is that the coaches are not well prepared here. In every other country you have a hockey school for coaches, but not here. Anybody can be a hockey coach in India, you don’t need to go to a university to study the game. Elsewhere, you don’t become a coach just because you are a player.