Former National coach Harendra eyes sport switch

With Hockey India not interested in availing his services any further and having received an official release from his duties from SAI, former National men's coach Harendra Singh has now decided to shift focus to football, something that he has been planning for a while now.

Harendra, a self-confessed football fanatic, has already spoken to Football Delhi president Shaji Prabhakaran and is likely to participate in a coaching course for AIFF's D Licence — the first step — sometime next month.

“I feel it is the best time for me to look elsewhere. Knowledge is power and nothing learnt ever goes waste. It is very common in Europe for coaches and personnel to move between hockey and football since the two games are very similar in terms of tactics, but it doesn't happen in India,” Harendra confirmed on Sunday.

Germany is a prime example of it with national hockey coaches Bernhard Peters and Markus Weise moving to football. Former India coach Dutchman Roelant Oltmans was also the technical director of football back home before returning to hockey.

Harendra has also spoken to Pradip Dutta, the only FIFA certified conditioning instructor from India and an Elite instructor with the AFC, regarding his plans. “I would love it if it happens in Delhi, but I am willing to travel anywhere in the country for the course as and when it happens. But I am clear I want to start at the bottom. Simply because I have been the national coach in hockey doesn't mean I can jump to the top in another sport.”