Ranchi Morabadi Hockey Coach Fired Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations

Ranchi / Bhopal (IANS): A massive safeguarding controversy has hit Jharkhand’s sports ecosystem after the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, Jharkhand, received serious allegations of sexual misconduct and neglect of duty against a prominent hockey coach.

The complaints emerged from the Eklavya Boys and Girls Hockey Training Centre in Morabadi, Ranchi, against support staff member Sudhir Golla. The fallout immediately reached the national level, forcing Hockey India (HI) to expel Golla from the ongoing Indian men’s sub-junior national coaching camp in Bhopal.

The federation ejected Golla on the exact day the Indian U-18 team faced Australia in a home match in Bhopal.

Jharkhand Authorities Lead Swift Crackdown

An official government order dated May 11 confirms that Jharkhand sports authorities had already stripped Golla of his position at the Ranchi Centre of Excellence before the national-level ouster. The department has already appointed a woman coach to assume his responsibilities at the Morabadi facility to ensure player safety.

Following the state’s action, Hockey India issued an official statement confirming Golla’s immediate termination from the national camp.

“Hockey India has removed Sudhir Golla from the coaching camp in Bhopal with immediate effect after it came to the federation’s notice that he had been removed from Eklavya Hockey Centre following complaints from players. Player safeguarding remains a top priority for us,” the federation stated.

Four Scandals in Six Months: Systemic Failures Under Scrutiny

This Ranchi-centric case marks the fourth major safeguarding crisis to rock Indian hockey in just over six months, exposing severe vulnerabilities in how the sports administration protects young athletes:

• November 2025: Authorities dropped a junior women’s coach right before the FIH Junior World Cup in Chile following sexual misconduct allegations.
• December 2025: Senior women’s team coach Harendra Singh resigned after national players wrote to the Sports Ministry accusing him of misconduct.
• April 2026: Another HI staff member faced accusations of sexually harassing women officials and coaches.

Internal Rifts and Cover-Up Allegations

While Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey could not be reached for comment, highly placed sources within the federation admit that the repetitive scandals have severely damaged the organization’s reputation, pointing to a lack of accountability.

“We have fallen short when it comes to safeguarding issues. There has not been a proper inquiry held in all previous cases. It seems someone in the federation is trying to protect those who have allegedly committed serious offenses,” a Hockey India source revealed.