India, led by Marijne, secured a historic fourth position at Tokyo 2020, a remarkable turnaround for a team that finished last in Rio in 2016. Although they failed to reach the podium this time around, their performance, along with the men’s bronze medal, garnered unprecedented national attention for Indian hockey and raised hopes for a revival of the sport in the country.

After Tokyo, players, as well as coaching staff, were promised cash rewards and incentives. But as Marijne’s tenure ended after the Olympics, he returned home after a very brief visit to India.

Now, speaking to The Indian Express, Marijne said he had yet to receive his “last pay” from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and a reward of Rs 25 lakh announced by the UP government. “I have not yet received the cash prize from the UP government and the pending dues with SAI. However, I am in constant contact with them and I am convinced that this will be settled soon, ”he said.

Although Marijne did not elaborate, a source said that one of the reasons his “full and final” salary was withheld is that he has yet to make his laptop official, which had gone. “Crushed” in the middle of the Olympics.

When contacted, SAI said it withheld six days’ salary, amounting to $ 1,800, which will be released once Marijne returns her “official property”.

“The salary is already in progress and will be released at the time when the official property handed over to Sjoerd Marjne as head coach of the women’s team will be submitted to SAI by him, which is part of the administrative procedure required for the full and final rule, “SAI, which employs coaches for all teams, said in a statement.

According to the contract, SAI said they would “recognize” the contribution of the coach in major tournaments, including the World Cup where India reached the quarter-finals, the Asian Games where they won a medal. money and the Olympics. But, a “performance bonus was not part of the contract,” he said.

After reaching Tokyo as a rank underdog, the women’s team beat the former Olympic gold medalist Australia in the quarter-finals. Upon their return home, the team was congratulated by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, with a cash prize of Rs 50 lakh announced for each player. Coach Marijne was entitled to receive Rs 25 lakh while support staff received Rs 10 lakh.

The players and some of the support staff, who were in attendance at the grand ceremony in Lucknow on August 19, immediately received their awards. However, Marijne was unable to attend the event as he had moved on to his next assignment with Dutch club Tilburg.

UP government sporting director RP Singh, a former international hockey player, said the amount had not yet been released as they were awaiting the coach’s bank details.

“The money was sanctioned by the government. When our government spent 42 crore rupees on it, why wouldn’t we give 25 lakhs of rupees? Singh said.

“The delay is because we wanted to make sure we got the right bank details so that the money was going to the right person. We have all the details now and we will transfer the amount immediately after Diwali. “