"Absolute rubbish and trickery"- Ashish Ballal trashes allegations against former women's hockey coach Harendra Singh [Exclusive]

Former goalkeeper and Indian hockey legend Ashish Ballal has trashed the allegations against Harendra Singh, reportedly made by a group of senior players of the Indian women's hockey team. Harendra has been accused of inappropriate behaviour, mental harassment, favouritism, and lack of involvement with regard to the formulation of strategies before matches.

Harendra Singh, who was appointed as Chief Coach of the Indian women's hockey team for a second time last year, stepped down from his role citing personal reasons.

A furious Ashish Ballal told Sportskeeda in no uncertain terms that the allegations levelled against the veteran coach by a section of the team lacked substance and amounted to "trickery"

"This is absolute rubbish and trickery," said the hero of India's 1998 Asian Games gold-medal winning squad.

In a separate social media post, the 55-year-old from Bangalore stated that he was "shocked, furious, and enraged" at Harendra Singh being "framed." He also declared that there appeared to be "a subterfuge and trickery mafia within the team."

Asserting that "external forces" were hell-bent on sabotaging Indian hockey, Ballal lent unequivocal support to Harendra Singh while asking the former India international to "stay strong."

Harendra Singh, who was given a contract that ran until the 2028 Olympics, was in the process of rebuilding the side ahead of the upcoming FIH World Cup qualifiers, with his resignation coming as a bolt from the blue.

"There appears to be a subterfuge and trickery mafia within the team of players with external help from those who are hell-bent on sabotaging the progress of Indian hockey. Yet, we rise above. My 100% support to my dear friend and brother Harendra Singh. We know your unwavering passion, unrelenting dedication, and genuine love for the players and the progress of Indian hockey. Stay strong," Ballal wrote on Meta.

The disquiet in the Indian women's hockey team has been brewing ever since former coach Sjoerd Marijne decided to step aside following India's stellar show at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

From the ecstasy of Tokyo with Sjoerd Marinje to the agony of Hangzhou with Janneke Schopman and Harendra Singh

Sjoerd Marijne stepped aside after the Tokyo Olympics - Source: Sjoerd Marijne on Meta

Punching well above their weight, the Indian women's hockey team enthralled fans and stunned their detractors with a fourth-place finish at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The performance in Tokyo was no flash in the pan, with Marijne's chargers having narrowly missed a semifinal place in the 2018 FIH Women's World Cup.

Sjoerd Marijne, the prime architect of the Tokyo spectacle, decided to step aside rather than bask in the glory of his success.

Marijne's deputy, Janneke Schopman, was then handed the responsibility of taking the team to greater heights following the Dutchman's departure. What followed, however, was a disastrous freefall that began in part with India's talismanic captain Rani Rampal being sidelined for unknown reasons.

A shocking 0-4 loss to China in the Asian Games semifinal in Hangzhou was followed by the team's inability to get through the Olympic qualifiers ahead of the Paris Games. With Savita Punia as captain, the team failed to replicate their previous successes before Schopman left Indian shores in a huff.

Even as the Chinese continued to prosper under the tutelage of the redoubtable Alyson Annan, even going on to win a silver medal in the Paris Olympics, India's woes showed no signs of abating.

The appointment of Harendra Singh was expected to usher in a period of calm and stability in the ranks, given his previous experience with the side from 2017 to 2018.

Salima Tete took over as captain from Savita Punia, even as Vandana Katariya hung up her boots. Monika Malik lost her place in the core group and appealed to the management via Sportskeeda to consider current levels of fitness during the selection process.

The team continued to struggle through the European leg of the FIH Pro League before notching up a win in the Asian Champions Trophy at home. But, in the Asia Cup in Hangzhou, earlier this year, India went down 1-4 to China despite Navneet Kaur giving her side the lead in the opening minute.

The Indian women's team were relegated from the FIH Pro League after finishing last, having ended the tournament with just 2 wins from 16 games.

Even so, Harendra Singh continued to assert that the team was in the process of rebuilding for the 2028 LA Olympics and that Hockey India was completely on board with regard to his plans. His sudden departure, therefore, is unlikely to be purely performance-related despite claims to the contrary by Hockey India.

With reports suggesting that Sjoerd Marijne may well return to coach the side, things may have come a full circle for the Indian women's hockey team. On the anvil lies the FIH World Cup qualifiers early next year. Clearly, the new coach will have his plate full in the 2026 season, which also includes the all-important Asian Games.

The arduous task of uniting a discordant bunch of players may well be the toughest ask of all.