SUNDAY, July 15, 2001:

Jesudanam’s view seems to cover at least one major outflow. The IHF’s reply to a parliament question No.USQ 145/93/99 further vindicates how the money was flaunted on free-loaders. In its reply, the IHF admitted spending Rs. 6 lacs against officials for the stay and other expenses besides Rs.1.9lacs towards the cost on air tickets. There were six `observers’ in the list of 11 officials who made the trip besides a security staff of Gill. Since the government of India provided airfare for the team; and the host the lodging and boarding needs of players and genuine officials like coaches and manager, the extra expense was avoidable.

But Mr. Gill was affording the luxury of AHF election with his jamboree. But when the question of awarding the same Asiad gold winners came, the generosity vanished into a thin air, leading to heartburn between the IHF and players with disastrous consequences.

Olympian Maharaj Krishon Kaushik, who trained the team that won the gold after a gap of 32 years says it’s dispute between the players and the federation on monetary rewards that led to the sacking of top six players even before the tears of joys dried on their cheek. “What else could be reasons?”, he retorts. “Unfortunately, I was caught between the crossfire”. He explains, “I took up the cause of players with the IHF and at the same time tried to bring restraint among the players”.

His book on the Asian Games – Golden Boot – graphically captures the sequence of events that has led to the flash point. “On the contrary, Gill misinformed the nation as if we players and coaches were fighting at Bangkok”.

Without a match fee what hockey players get for representing country is applause, hug and a few handshakes with some VIPs. For long the question of match fee and monetary rewards were swept under the carpet of amateurism, a euphemism for escapism. But not until Dhanraj Pillay, easily the most familiar of hockey stars, decided enough is enough on the eve of Indo-Pakistan test series in 1998 and enacted a Kris Srikant act.

Like Dhanraj’s case, the ace cricketer too was fresh on the captaincy mantle when demanded seniority based payment before the team left for Pakistan in 1989. True the matter went in his favour with Solil Sorabjee representing the players in supreme court, but on return Srikant was dropped from the team once for all.

The same happened to Dhanraj’s too. Team under his captaincy staged a revolt of sort before the start of renewed Pakistan Series in 1998 which hogged the headlines. The public outcry that followed did yield dividends – Rs.10000 before the series and 15,000 after it for each player – but it cost Dhanraj &Co. dearly.

Despite bringing the Asiad Gold both as a top scorer and captain, he was sacked on the eve of next Pakistan series under the pretext of ‘resting’.

Selector Ashok Kumar, son of Dhyan Chand, tendered his resignation at this. Even now he says, “there was no sporting reason not to continue with the winning combination. IHF would waste money, but would not part with the players.”

Anil Aldrin replaced Dhanraj to lead the side, but the new captain was also dropped after the Series. “My sin was I too talked about money,” he said tongue in cheek.

Whether Dhanraj & Co were `rested’ or dropped the reasons behind could well be heard from the horse mouth itself. Based on a television programme, a PTI news reported thus: “He knew(Dhanraj Pillay) what money was being given but tried to disturb the series. You have a demand, ok, make your demand, I said ok. I can disband the team and can send an equally good team. That is when they calmed down,” Gill told the `Sports Update’ programme”.

Since then the players were never spoke against the Federation in public.

With no accountability either to public or to its own electoral college, which in fact melted before the towering personality of Gill, the IHF has become whimsical, authoritative and even to the extent of being lackadaisical in its accounts upkeep.

In the computer era when typewriters have become museum artifacts, the IHF maintains one, whose depreciated value is 13,000 but its cost of repairs, as per its audited accounts, is Rs.10,000! Its executive meeting spends half an hour discussing about the outstanding amount of Rs.16 against one of its vice-presidents, but has no time to focus why players welfare are so meagre or what efforts were made to recover TDS worth of 7 lacs which could have easily reduced by half its creditors list.

Now it is a matter of conjecture why our hockey performs bits and starts in international arenas