Hyderabad: While it is still not clear whether Ric Charlesworth, consultant to the Indian hock ey team, has resigned or has left the country to attend to personal business, the Indian administrators were unsparing in their assessment of the Australian.
Reacting sharply to media reports that Charlesworth had quit the post, sports minister MS Gill said that individuals do not matter. “The game of hock ey is not dependent on an individual who comes in and goes out. Indians are not dependant on anybody. We have the capability to develop on our own,’’ Gill said during the inaugural ceremony of the 6th Men’s Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Friday.
“As far as I am concerned, Charlesworth’s contract ends next month. If he insists that he has not resigned, the committee will discuss it and take a decision. I know he is being paid well. But have we got the desired results?
“I am confident that Indian coaches can do a very good job. But it is up to the new committee to appoint a coach. The ministry will help them in every possible way,’’ the minister said.
President of the Indian Olympic Association and chairman of the ad hoc committee Suresh Kalmadi said that he had come to know about Charlesworth’s resignation only through media. “He never met me. I was told he met our treasurer. If he had resigned we will discuss with the president of the international hockey federation (FIH) who is coming here on July 17 and do the needful. But he need not worry about the money. All his dues will be paid. A new coach for the senior team will be appointed after discussions with former captains and players on July 17 and 18,’’ Kalmadi said.
When informed that Charlesworth had denied that he resigned and is visiting Australia only to see his ailing mother, Kalmadi said: “He was always in and out of the country. The committee will take a decision once we know the full details.”
Convenor of the ad hoc committee Mohd Aslam Khan felt that Indian hockey will not miss the Australian.
“ We can’t possibly miss a person whom we don’t know. Charlesworth never met the ad hoc committee. His absence will not have any impact on Indian hockey ,’’ Khan said.
The Olympian said that Charlesworth never lent a hand to the new committee. “We conducted camps at Sonepat and Hyderabad. As a technical advisor Charlesworth should have been present at these venues. Surprisingly, he was not seen at any of these camps. We were ready to take his help but did not get any. He was busy with his seminar and other activities,’’ Khan said.