India’s hockey chief coach Paul van Ass, who claims he has been fired from the job following an altercation with federation president Narinder Batra, said today that he was willing to resume his duties provided there was no “interference” in his work.
Van Ass, who took charge of the team only five months ago, had alleged on Monday that he had been “fired” by Hockey India following the spat with Batra after the quarter-final match against Malaysia in the World League Semi-finals in Antwerp, Belgium earlier this month.
After the episode, a fuming Batra constituted a special committee under Olympian Harbinder Singh to take a call on the coach’s future on July 24.
Asked if he is ready to rejoin the Indian team if asked to do so, van Ass said: “It’s too early to jump the gun. Let’s wait and see. The fact is I am not welcome any more. For sure I have been sacked just a week after the tournament (in Antwerp). I am just waiting for the official word.
“But whatever happens I am OK. I have never quit the job. I have never said I have quit. What can you do if you are fired? But if am asked to return I am fine. But before that we will have lots of discussion. I am just very straight. My position is simple ‘don’t interfere in my primary process’,” Van Ass added.
A day after Van Ass claimed that he was sacked by HI, federation chief Batra hit back at him, saying that “Van Ass is not a good coach” and was “rude”.
Reacting to Batra’s remarks, the outspoken Dutchman said: “He cannot judge what he doesn’t know. It’s useless. Such remarks prove that he doesn’t know the game but I am least interested in all these. I am not bothered about his opinion. It is not serious. What was serious was that all the blame was being put on my head by saying that I haven’t reported for the camp. But the fact is I was never supposed to join the camp as I had already been sacked,” he said.
