In a startling development that sent shockwaves through the country’s table tennis fraternity, national coach Hubert Hustache has resigned from his post and flown back to France. This has dealt a severe blow to the national side’s preparations for the Asian Championships which begin in South Korea on Saturday.The team, sans the coach, flew out last Sunday. Hyderabad’s Mohammed Ibrahim has gone with the team and NIS Patiala coach Bhawani Mukhrejee will join him in South Korea.Hustache’s resignation comes in the wake of problems he was having with both the federation and the players. Top women players including Poulomi Ghatak and Mouma Das skipped several preparatory camps much to his dislike and it is rumoured that Hustache was anything but happy with some of the players thrust upon him by the federation.Kasturi Chakraborty’s sudden return to the national side had raised several eyebrows, but that pales into insignificance in the face of Pratik Mehta’s inclusion to the side. The Gujarat boy is not even ranked within the top 16 and yet, for the second time in succession, made it to the national side at the expense of top players. While it was India number three Sourav Chakraborty’s turn to sit out the ITTF Pro-Tour meets, this time, the axe fell on Anirban Nandy.According to a source, the main reason for Hustache’s ire was Mehta’s inclusion and the coach was even seen wearing a T-shirt with the words ‘strike’ written on it on the eve of the team’s departure from New Delhi.TTFI secretary general Mool Chand Chowhan, when contacted said: “The coach wanted full payment for this month, because he wanted to go back home for a month-long holiday straight from South Korea. But, according to the contract, he is not entitled to an advance and would have got his salary for this month only after his return in the beginning of next month.”Chowhan added that Hustache had become very unpopular with the players and the coaches. “It is good he has left since he was rubbing everybody, players and officials alike, the wrong way. Everybody was fed up with him,” he said.The TTFI secretary disclosed that he would be reporting the matter to the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF). “This is a serious breach of contract and I will be reporting this in the ITTF meeting to be held during the Asian Championships. Thereafter, we will look for a new coach,” he said.
