WFI likely to sack Iranian coach Karimi

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) is likely to sack men's free style national coach Hossein Karimi, six months after the Iranian was hired on a contract till the Tokyo Olympics.

The Iranian had joined the national camp in February but has been struggling to adjust to the 'system'.

He went on leave after India savoured its best ever performance at the World Championship in Nur-Sultan, where the men's freestyle wrestlers won four medals and three Olympic quotas.

"Karimi's days are numbered. He will soon be gone. The WFI is not happy with him," said an WFI source.

It has been learnt that the diminutive Karimi himself is not happy with the way things work in India.

Source said he wanted to have his own program in place at the national camp in Bahalgarh in Sonepat district but country's elite wrestlers trained on their own.

Bajrang Punia has been training with Georgian Shako Bentinidis while Sushil Kumar trains with Russian Kamal Malikov.

Deepak Punia and Ravi Dahiya, who won a silver and a bronze respectively in Nur Sultan, are product of Delhi's Chhatarsal stadium.

"He was struggling to gel with the other Indian coaches at the camp and remained aloof most of the time. He was unhappy since arriving and has been complaining of one or the other thing. The WFI was told about it and it (sacking) was coming," said a source.

"He was even given a flat near the camp since he did not want to stay inside the SAI Complex where other coaches lived."