Michael Nobbs in India to settle his accounts

New Delhi, July 15 (IANS) Sacked hockey coach Michael Nobbs returned to India Monday to settle his dues with the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

The Australian was sacked last week after the team’s series of dismal performances over the last 12 months.

Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narinder Batra told IANS that Nobbs is here to settle his dues with his employers SAI.

“Nobbs will be here for month. He will be travelling to Bangalore to meet the players at the national camp and we will also give him a nice farewell,” Batra told IANS.

SAI director general Jiji Thomson told IANS that he would meet Nobbs later this week.

The decision to sack the Australian was taken during a review meeting of the team’s overall performance by the SAI. Nobbs, who was appointed in June 2011, was removed with three years still remaining of his contract.

Under Nobbs, the team lost all its matches during the 2012 London Olympics and finished a disappointing last among the 12 competing teams. Last month, India were sixth in the FIH World League Round 3 tournament in Rotterdam.

Nobbs’ biggest achievement was taking India, who had missed the Beijing Games for the first time in 80 years, back to the Olympics by winning the qualifier on home soil. The team also finished fourth during the 2012 Champions Trophy.

HI high-performance manager Roelant Oltmans has been given the charge of the team while Olympic gold medallist Maharaj Krishan Kaushik has been appointed the national coach. The Dutch legend is now in charge of the national camp in Bangalore.