Janneke Schopman resigns as chief coach of Indian women’s hockey team

New Delhi, Feb 23:  Just over a month after her team failed to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games and a few days after she caused a sensation by making claims of bias and lack of support from Hockey India, Janneke Schopman stepped down as chief coach of the Indian women’s hockey team on Friday.

The Dutch coach submitted her resignation to Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey after the conclusion of the Indian women’s hockey team’s outing in the home leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League in Odisha.

Schopman's tenure was to continue till September as she was appointed till the end of the Paris Olympic Games. The Indian women's team failed to qualify for the Olympics, finishing fourth in the qualifying tournament in Ranchi.

Schopman had taken over the reins from former chief coach Sjoerd Marine under whose tutelage India finished in a historic fourth position at the Tokyo Olympics. Schopman was assistant to her compatriot Marijne at Tokyo Olympic Games.

There was talk of Hockey India looking for a new coach following the disappointment at the recent Olympic Qualifiers. Schopman's resignation has paved the way for Hockey India to look for a new chief coach for the women’s hockey team, who could prepare the team for the next Women’s World Cup in 2026 and the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.

"It is time to begin a fresh chapter in Indian women’s hockey with the players' progress being at the centre of our focus," Hockey India said in a statement on Friday.

During Schopman's tenure, India won gold in the Asian Champions Trophy, victory in the inaugural FIH Nations Cup, silver in the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and bronze in the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.

However, the major disappointments for the team were poor performance in the 2022 World Cup in South Africa and the failure to qualify for the Paris Olympic Games.