Spaniard Jose Brasa appointed India's hockey coach

New Delhi, May 1 (IANS) Spaniard Jose Brasa will take over the coaching reins of the Indian hockey team from this month's Asia Cup.

Brasa has been appointed till the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Brasa will reach here Sunday and will sign the contract before leaving with the team for May 9-16 Asia Cup in Kuantan, Malaysia, a top sports official said here Friday.

Brasa will be given a contract till the 2010 Asian Games, which can be extended after quarterly assessment.

Brasa, who will be accompanied by physical trainer from Spain David Terez, will get a remuneration of Euros 84,000 ($111,415) annually. Terez will take home Euros 60,000 ($79,600).

Brasa is a senior International Hockey Federation (FIH) master coach and led the Spanish women's team to the gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

The Indian hockey team was without a coach for almost a year now after Joaquim Carvalho resigned in March last year after eight-time champions India failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

Australian Ric Charlesworth took over as the technical adviser of the team for a brief period before he left the job after a fall-out with sports ministry and hockey officials.

Harendra Singh is currently the coach in-charge of the team.

Under him, India reached the final of Punjab Gold Cup and won the Azlan Shah in Malyasia last month after a lapse of 13 years. LINK..