OPINION: ‘Tireless’ FIH president once again talks of Club event!

The FIH President Leondro Negre is not tired of telling same thing last three years without seemingly making any solid progress whatsoever on the ground. May be he is not tired, but anybody who attended his press conferences in the last three years, is.

At least I am.

One fine morning before the start of 2010 World Cup with full glare of global media in front of him — a big occasion after unseating seemingly strong going Els van Breda Vriesman – Leondro Negre was in full bloom when announced a big Club thing coming to India. The details are on record, mere google is suffice to access it all.

It was late Feb 2010. He definitely said the event will be on turf next year.

This is the problem. When one says the event comes next year, and it is almost a year away from now, nobody remembers. The cycle continues.

He said nearly same when interviewed last year during the Azlan Shah Cup.

Same scene was witnessed yesterday at Major Dhayan Chand Stadium in New Delhi. He dwelt the same in the same press room midway through Commonwealth Games too.

The FIH is going to organize a world level club tournament in India.

This what the president has been informing us, tirelessly.

Each time same announcement though details varied.

That time Indian entry can be an institutional team, now winner of the Hockey India League, to eke out an example

We are at loss to understand what prevents the FIH to host the tournament it talks about for so many years.

Does it involve huge money? No window available? No sponsors? What the hell that is a big roadblock.

One never knows.

Another name of sports is dynamism. Track was laid and Formula 1 races were held all within a year, at least in India.

Here even two factions conduct mega level events – World Series Hockey and Hockey India League – simultaneously. The scale, logistics, money involved in these two events are huge, the Club thing pale against this.

Against the backdrop, what a hell about world’s top six or eight clubs playing a tournament for about a week?

Ask Malaysia, one of their State Unit would have done. Ask India, same will happen. May be many more countries be willing.

Why the FIH could not get this done last three years.

This is laidback attitude.

What would one say about an organization that took three years to agree to World Cup proposal?

Or is it FIH’s February Fever?

Is it not wise to sneak in news through its second rung officials to initiate a debate or awareness, rather than FIH president himself do the parroting thing?