Terry Walsh Quits as India Hockey Coach Again, as Talks over a New Contract Fails

Indian hockey chief coach Terry Walsh, who was in talks with the Sports Authority of India to get a new improved contract, said on Tuesday that the meeting between him and SAI did not yield the desired results, thereby ending his tenure with the national team.

Tuesday marked the last day of Walsh's tenure as the coach of the senior team. But, the Australian expressed optimism that SAI will revert to him by the weekend agreeing to certain terms and conditions, according to media reports.

"Demands were not met this time but I hope to return to Indian hockey," Walsh, who guided the Indian team to an Asian Games gold medal after 16 years in the 2014 Incheon Games, said.

After resigning on 21 October, Walsh was serving a one-month notice period which concluded Tuesday.

SAI had appointed a six-member committee to study the proposals of Walsh, which had a marathon six-hour meeting on Monday to decide on his terms and conditions. The committee also met Tuesday to deliberate further on his demands.

The committee comprising former Indian hockey players Ajit Pal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Zafar Iqbal, India's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans, SAI Executive Director (Teams) Sudhir Setia and Hockey India (HI) CEO Elena Norman, had long discussions with the 60-year-old hockey professional.

But, no agreement came out of the extended talks, as of Tuesday.