Strange NOC rule stumps national hockey players

BHOPAL: Not for nothing is India’s national sport in dire straits. On one hand, there are factions at loggerheads for the governing control of hockey in India. While on the other, players have to battle the demons within their workplace to play the sport that has given them everything.

On Friday, the opening day of the inaugural Senior National Men’s Hockey Championship here, five budding players were denied the opportunity to participate in what could have been their first appearance on the national stage.

In the morning fixture between Manipur and Services, three Manipur players – Abung, Premananda and Bikram – were withdrawn at the last minute because of pressure tactics enforced by the opposition manager. According to the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) rules, no player on the rolls of the SSCB can play for another team without a No Objection Certificate (NOC). Fair. But what if the concerned player is not part of the SSCB squad?

Under normal circumstances, players who are not part of a team’s squad are free to play for any other team of their choice. For instance, Gurseva Singh, who is employed by Railways, is playing for Rajasthan in this tournament. Because he did not find a place in the Indian Railways squad, he was given the go-ahead to play for another team by his superiors. Unfortunately, the three Manipur boys weren’t as fortunate.

“We are not mad to let the boys participate without the required permission. But despite having all the paper work in place, the opposition team threatened us. They even made the boys call their respective units. We didn’t want the boys to go through a departmental enquiry, so we withdrew them at the last minute,” Manipur manager Ksh.Ibopishak Singh told TOI after his team’s 0-7 defeat. “There was no way we could concentrate on the game, let alone put up a good fight. We were under tremendous stress,” the manager added.

Earlier in the day, two Jharkhand boys were also forced to withdraw just minutes before their match against Himachal Pradesh.

“It is hereby mentioned that no player from the SSCB shall play for any other team without a NOC,” a statement signed by SSCB secretary, M Baladitya, and faxed to the technical director, sports and youth welfare, government of Madhya Pradesh, read. Strangely, the statement was not addressed to the technical director, who is the sole authority to decide on such matters. “Had the boys come to me, I would allowed them to participate,” tournament director Shakeel Qureshi said.

Meanwhile, it was business as usual for the fancied teams as Indian Railways, Punjab and Tamil Nadu opened their campaigns with huge wins. The morning session alone saw as many as 75 goals being scored.