Harendra accuses Pargat of fixing, retracts
Uthra G Chaturvedi
Former India hockey coach Harendra Singh on Thursday lashed out at Pargat Singh — the current chairman of the Disciplinary Committee and former captain — accusing the latter of fixing matches and being among the least disciplined player during his playing days. However, hours after making the allegations, Harendra claimed he had never accused Pargat in person.
Talking to news syndicate NNIS Sports, Harendra claimed that Pargat had never done any good for Indian hockey and his contribution to the sport was limited to seeking self-advancement.
“He is the only captain who has had allegations of match fixing against him. As skipper, he was the man who had asked Indian players not to score a goal (in 1995). There are numerous allegations against him,” Harendra alleged.
The matter refers to the Olympic qualifiers in April 1995, when India’s goalless draw against Malaysia in the league stages helped the latter advance to the final. An India win would have cleared the way for Canada to play the final and the Canadian Hockey Association had immediately lodged a case against India with the FIH. Nothing, though, could be proved.
When contacted by The Indian Express, Harendra not only reiterated the match-fixing allegations but also reemphasised the fact that that match was not the only instance of Pargat’s indiscipline.
“If we look at Pargat Singh’s past records, he has done nothing good for Indian hockey. And the sad part is that everyone knows about it but they have still given him full authority to take decisions,” he said.
“Today he is talking about discipline when he was the first person to leave a national camp in 1989 because he wanted to be the captain. The next year, when players went on a strike demanding payments, he joined hands with the IHF and scuttled our efforts, only because he wanted to become captain. Now he is heading the Disciplinary Committee of Hockey India and talking about national interest, which is ridiculous,” he said.
Harendra was also critical of the administration, saying HI should shut shop if Pargat was to run the sport. “He is the technical committee chairman, discipline committee chairman, in charge of the selection of Indian coach. He is also the head of the committee that cleared the names for this year’s sports awards. If he has to do everything, then Hockey India should shut shop,” he said.
When contacted, Pargat refused to comment. “If someone has lost his mental balance, what can I say. Everyone has a democratic right to vent their feelings, but it doesn’t merit a response,” said Pargat.
Incidentally, by the end of the day Harendra had denied making such allegations, distancing himself from his viewpoint while speaking to the PTI.