NEW DELHI, May 14: India on Thursday officially appointed decorated Frenchman Frederic Soyez as the chief coach of the national junior men’s hockey team, replacing two-time Olympic medallist PR Sreejesh.
Sreejesh, a former star goalkeeper, was removed from his role just after 17 months following the expiry of his contract after guiding India to a bronze medal-finish at last year’s FIH Junior World Cup in Chennai and Madurai.
In a strongly-worded social media post, Sreejesh vented out his frustration, saying his tenure was brought to an end despite winning five medals in as many tournaments during his stint, but Hockey India argued that the decision was taken considering long-term vision of building a sustainable high-performance ecosystem aligned with India’s ambitions for hosting the 2036 Olympic Games.
One of the most accomplished coaches in European hockey, Soyez brings over three decades of elite coaching experience, including 15 years as an international player for France and over 15 years as a head coach at the highest level.
Soyez, who enjoyed an illustrious playing career with France from 1995 to 2010, earning 196 international caps and scoring an impressive 195 goals for the team, coached the national men’s hockey teams of both France and Spain.
He has coaching experience at three Olympic Games, having guided Spain at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics before leading France at the Paris 2024 Olympics.During his tenure with Spain, he guided the team to a silver medal at the 2019 European Championships, while also steering them to quarterfinal finishes at the Rio and Tokyo Olympics. A proven developer of young talent, Soyez coached France to a historic silver medal at the FIH Junior Men’s World Cup in Delhi in 2013 and most recently guided the French U-18 men’s team to a silver medal at the 2025 European Championships. (PTI)
