Just take a hypothetical case. The Chile Indian team’s coach is one Sukhwinder Singh. His deputy is one Parminder Singh. And the manager is another person not having the same surname, but a family friend of Sukhwinder Singh, living in an adjacent State, say, Haryana. And the Technical Director is another acclaimed Singh from Punjab. Even the Technical Director for Junior teams is another Singh.
If this is the case, how would have the Indian press reacted to the Chile Chiller?
The media would have spent reams – television hours and hours – on how Punjabi lobby killed Indian hockey.
Now come to the reality. Chile disaster has been masterminded by media savvy Joaquim Carvalho, his deputies are his choices, Technical Directors are his buddies (his city mates MM Somaya and Merwyn Fernandis) — and the manager RK Shetty is Carvalho’s family friend.
Why are we not telling regionalism or a particular lobby has led to Chile disaster?
Is there not a single Journalist to state our own Olympians supervised hockey’s burial at Chile?
Or, does the media feel some Olympians has a divine right to kill hockey for their own selfish interests?
We were told the Tournament Director interrupted Indian players’ sleep in the night, which inter alia has contributed to the team psyched next day.
Who should have handled this case? Who is entitled to allow Indian players to meet the TD? Whose responsibility is it to see such things, if they are illegal, do not take place and that the team is kept in good humour for the task next day?
The answer is simple. It is mandatory for Managers to handle such issues. Manager is supposed to know what the tournament rules, TD’s powers, whether a player can be shown a card after the match or not? That’s why even now Kim Sam Ryul or, till recently Barry Dancer, were designated Managers for the team, as they are well versed with the dynamic rule change regimes and also entitled to attend Tournament Director’s meetings.
Why the media is not even posing these questions to Manager who is maintaining a convenient silence — and only Joaquim is speaking all matters including the exclusive domain of manager?
Who is supposed to submit a report on Chile, Manager or Coach?
Who has submitted now?
Why the press is silent?
Gill invited press for a press conference at his residence. OK you have the freedom to go to his house, but why hang over six hours on the streets? Gill has not convened a press conference even six days after that shameful wait. Why is not the press asking any questions? Can’t they approach Press Council or SJFI to lodge a protest for the humiliation inflicted on them?
Are you pressman or spineless spin doctors?
Gill is yet to talk to any print media sports journalist. All he has cleverly done was to engage political correspondents of Television channels to air his views? A news agency almost submitted to him, and wrote whatever he wanted. Are we here to report objectively or to do stenography!
Exceptions apart, media is yet to pass an opinion as to who should be the coach – Joaquim or Ric. Is only reporting the job of media, not analyzing the events? But the press do analyse each aspect of other sports, why not hockey now?
Why Carvalho is not asked — or wirrten about — why he fooled the public with his ‘resignation’ stunt and what made him to stick to his job?
If somebody is sophisticated, speak English, attends your phone, and even makes unsolicited calls to enlighten, are these only things count with media, not objectivity or passionate reporting?
Is not the job of media to find out truth behind what Joaquim said about TD, Cards etc. If he is right, hail him as hero, and blast the FIH. If not, let the world know Indian press is unbiased. Media just did stenography on this technical issue, which is otherwise easy for deciphering.
Or, is the media not interested in finding out the truth? It is concerned about sources and quotes only?
It’s time for the media – only media and government stood by hockey all these years, as people have long back forgotten hockey – it should pose a few questions to its own consciousness.
In the end, if the IHF and this band of Olympians are not honest – to the country, to themseleves — the media by and large was not also anything different.