Firefighting on way to placate Pargat ?
Even as a powerful selector and an assistant coach, loyal to Development Committee Chairman Pargat Singh give a miss for yesterday’s selection trials, tongues wag as to what transpire in the corridors of Hockey India. Rumours are thick in the air since three days, especially ever since Junior India coach Mukesh Kumar unceremoniously exited paving way for the veteran Harendra to make another of his comebacks, that the former player Pargat Singh has put in his papers.
Though Pargat Singh does not hold any constitutional post in the HI set up, he is Chairman of Development Committee, which according to the remarks of HI Secretary Narinder Batra, is entrusted with taking all technical decisions. Further, doubling up as Chairman of Disciplinary Committee, Pargat was in the news recently with his instant outbursts on Sardar Singh and Sandeep Singh, who happily missed out the Ordos tournament. Subsequently, Pargat’s anger had no takers as the duo re-entered with the 2-year ban evoked within a month from it was imposed.
However, even as one tries to confirm the veracity of the news that Pargat Singh resigned, we are flooded with moves that aim at placating indignant Pargat Singh. One move is to term Harendra Singh as the Junior India coach while Mukesh Kumar will be taken in as the chief coach of the Development team. However, it is certain India did not have single tournament ear-marked for this genre this year. People in Hockey India seem confident they will get Mukesh change his mind, will soon be back on coaching . However, its a good news that HI is aware of an entity called Development team. Till recent past, we had that wild animal in our hockey jungle, with Rajinder Singh Sr, Harendra, CR Kumar and other being the handlers. However, the vital aspect of the team structure has been missing in the last four years.
The one-day selection trails where both 9-a-side and traditional form of matches were held, Col. Balbir Singh, Chief Selector, did not turn up. It seems he has fallen out with HI after someone who attended a party he organized last fortnight at Jalandhar, leaked his casual comments on HI Secreatry General Narinder Batra, as a castigation of his style of functioning. Significantly, Sukbir Singh Grewal, who was in the camp even before Michael Nobbs reached Bangalore, and also toured Ordos, too was not there yesterday at Bangalore where the trials were held. He is eyes and ears of Pargat Singh and his unexplained absence poinot to the fact that things are not moving smoothly inside the HI cauldron.
A vital cog in the Pargat Singh camp, meanwhile, sends a warning. “Hockey India behaves as if everything is fine. The victory at Ordos seemed to have gone to their head. It is surprising they started ignoring the fact that it is we who brought the foreign coach, and suggested all other technical matters, including 5-year tenure for the new coach”.