"There are very good foreign coaches, they are highly qualified but they are over-qualified for our conditions. We must get our intelligent coaches, educated ones, trained abroad. They should get the training so that when they come back, they can continue till they retire.
"Now, foreign coaches, come and take salaries, sorry to say that, and they go back. If we can get our own coaches trained, get all the training facilities abroad, they can come back, serve the country. Then they will feel honoured to serve the country. We have talent, our boys are good, but we lack in training and physical fitness. We should be among the top 4-5 teams. We should be there", he said.
The hockey legend enlisted a number of other reasons for the declining standard of Indian hockey which, he said, has been given a "step-motherly treatment". The long-standing feud between the two federations -- Hockey India (HI) and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) -- was also hurting the game.
Updated on: December 31, 2013 19:11 IST
