In the early 80s, even after India won the Moscow Olympics, around the time India was out of the semis of the home, Bombay World Cup and getting beaten 1-7 by Pakistan in the Asian Games final, the International Olympic Committee came forward to financially support a foreign coach, at the promptings of its own vice president Ashwini Kumar. Kumar was a die hard hockey enthusiast, having been in the IHF seat for almost 18 years.

Even as Ashwini Kumar was branded anti-India, and Juan Antonio Samaranch, then IOC president, sent a fat cheque to the Indian Olympic Association as advance.

The consensus then was to hire the services of Horst Wein, a German then training Spain, and also the architect of ‘Science of Hockey’. Same Horst Wein whose son nowadays plays for German.

Most of the former Olympians and those in the position of taking decisions worked overtime to thwart the aggression of Indians’ unpatriotic act. The cheque later on was utilized for some other purpose and the coach who was almost in India was never here.

Balbir Singh Sr., Manager, 1982 Asian Games, then said the same which he is telling right now: “India does not need foreign coach”. He was certainly not alone then as he is now. This was the majority view of our beloved Olympians then, and even now.

25 years later, India reenacts another act of Patriotism. This was more pronounced in the (un)wisely words of MS Gill, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports. Recently, at Hyderabad, he volunteered to lecture on patriotism and thundered ‘Indians can stand on their own, need not depend on any single foreigner’.

His own party and the government says nuclear isolation is wrong and bends backward to import the nuclear expertise of other countries. This has recently solved 30 years of stagnation in this branch of science.

But Gill lectures on patriotism the kind where India will become a laughing stock in the international sporting arenas but quite content as it was coached and trained by the Indians.

It is gathered that anybody who played for India counseled MS Gill against foreign coach and he went by it.

Our Prime Minister, who recently won a trust vote in the parliament on the nuclear issue, too went by the advice of scientists who came out in support of the Indo-US nuclear deal. This included APJ Abdul Kalam, the immediate past president of India, who himself is a globally acknowledged scientist.

Here lies the problem. Our scientists in hockey called former players, sang in chorus against foreign coach which sounded music for the erring bureacrats in the ministroy and novices who run our hockey affairs.

By going against import of foreign knowledge, the sincerity that goes with it, we are second time in history proving what Dr. Samuel Johnson said long back, “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” Aren’t we?

S2h, soon after the Charlesworth’s resignation was leaked by the vested interests, informed that the last word on the matter has not been said.

Yes, I stick to that even now.

Ric is here in India and likely to stay for a week at least. For all the mud slingings thrown at him in the last fortnight, he did not reply. Whatever we read in the media, barring exceptions, are one sided — leakages from the government sources not a balanced ones.

As a professional after tendering his resignation, he did not say anything bad on his country of work or on his assignment. He maintained a studied silence.

Again as a professional, he does not want to stick to an assignment where he feels he cannot deliver the goods as right environment for delivery does not exist. This is called professionalism.

Let anyone enlighten when did our coaches resign last time?

So, it is not late even now for saner elements to wake up. Ric can be counselled and a new scheme can be worked out so that his services can be availed, and also the report he submitted is meaningfully implemented.

India needs a paradigm shift in its approach to bring back hockey to a position of strength. We need a netural personality to see that, understand, and implement.

Nowhere in the world, even after realization of this fact, one signs contract for six months, and not paid for three months!!

We are certainly committed second historical blunder