Sjoerd Marijne apologises for 'underperformance' allegations against former India captain Manpreet Singh

The Dutchman coached the Indian men’s and women’s hockey teams between 2017 and 2021.

Former Indian men’s and women’s national hockey coach Sjoerd Marijne has apologized to former Indian captain Manpreet Singh. The coach previously accused Manpreet Singh of asking young players to to underperform during the Commonwealth Games 2018. Marijne in his book Will Power – The Inside Story of the Incredible Turnaround in Indian Women’s Hockey, accused Manpreet of asking a player “to stop playing well” so that his friends could get in the team.

Sjoerd Marijne in his official social media handle iterated, “I regret that I have inadvertently made public reference to an allegation based on hearsay against the men’s captain Manpreet Singh, in reference to the underperformance of the junior players.

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A post shared by Sjoerd Marijne (@sjoerdmarijne)

“I have realized now that there was no material or basis for such an allegation. I express regret and apologize for the pain and hurt that it caused to Manpreet and team, and I should have been more diligent. I unconditionally withdraw my statements reported in the media making any such allegations against Manpreet Singh.”

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The Dutchmen guided the women’s team to a fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The team at had a poor start to the tournament losing the first three encounters in the group stage. However, a win against Australia sealed a place in the semi-finals; and thereby created history by qualifying to the semis for the first time at the Olympics.

The Indian team lost a close battle to Great Britain (3-4) but Marijne at the end was widely credited for the team’s turnaround after decades of dismal showings.

Prior to taking over the reign of the women’s team, Marijne was the coach of men’s team for a brief period.

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