|
Fiddlesticks
World body
blows hot, Indian hockey left in the cold
Zafar Zang
Singh
The
magical dribble is a thing of the past. The short passes of the
forwards is history. Unable to practice and play on astro-turfs
introduced some thirty years ago, competitive turf hockey has
finally won over grass field hockey. Beijing fans will not be able
to spot the ubiquitous Sikh players of the Indian hockey team, which
was perhaps the only game in which India could make some mark in the
Olympics.
Failing to qualify for the Olympics, the Indian team and the Indian
Hockey Federation is now reeling under a renewed threat of the
Federation Internationale de Hockey to take-away the holding of the
World Cup in 2010 from India as the FIH president Els van Breda
Vriesman questioned the way IHF manages the game in the country.
 Whilst dribbling was outsmarted by meddling and aimless dabbling
with the nuances of the game without any proper planning, the
results were more than expected. The country which took pride that
it taught hockey to the world is now at the mercy of the FIH project
called, “promoting Indian hockey” and that too on terms dictated by
them.
Indian
has belabored a lot to ensure its defeat. The IHF led by KPS Gill
and his one time blue-eyed boy secretary K Jothikumaran appointed a
security officer Suresh Sharma as the chief selector of the Indian
hockey team. No former player was roped in to tutor or guide the
younger players despite offers from them. The specially appointed
International Hockey Federation intervener, Australian coach Ric
Charlesworth was denied fare to go to Santiago to be with the team
and the moneys given to hockey players to play international
tournaments cannot pay for their child’s one month fees to school.
 What
role did the Indian Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar play? Last
year, his ministry down graded the national game as “not
priority”? So with such gigantic efforts, was it ever possible for
the starving players, who according to the coach, were woken up in
the middle of the night for admonition and advice, not to lose the
crucial game to Britain 0-2?
Every former Olympian is crying hoarse. Pargat Singh, a former
captain of the game is baying for KPS Gill’s ouster. Too eager to
promote his cricket team “bought in auction” after spending a few
millions, the self-effacing Shah Rukh Khan, lost his cool, when
confronted about India’s debacle. I have done Chak de, my father
and grandfather did not play hockey, he ruefully said. Balbir Singh
Sr. was at loss of words to express his shock. Dhanraj Pillai, who
was ignominiously sidelined last year, was in tears for one full
night.
8
times gold medalist India took 80 years to reach a rock bottom
situation. Mani Shankar Aiyar has not issued an official statement
so far. Even the die-hard optimist is pretty sure that the
administration of the game will not change, unless we heed the
advice of CPI Member of Parliament Gurudas Dasgupta who has said
that the only way to save the game is to physically throw out KPS
Gill and his honchos from managing the game.
The
penalty shoot-out has begun. WSN waits with muted breath to see who
fires the first goal.
12
March 2008
|
Read Also