FORMER INDIA SKIPPER JUDE FELIX BEMOANS THE STATE OF INDIAN HOCKEY

V Narayan Swamy | TNN

Bangalore: Indian hockey is dead. Long live the game.

Jude Felix is another from the fraternity to go down the familiar path. And, he is definitely not the last.

Dark and downcast, Jude is appalled at the way Indian hockey mandarins have conducted themselves after the Chile disaster and the manner in which hockey guru Ric Charlesworth was unceremoniously dumped in the subsequent weeks.

“We have hit the pits. I doubt whether we can sink further,” Jude, who is the coach of Singapore Recreation Club, told TOI.

“For many years, India have deliberately ignored signals of their doom. I no longer consider the eight gold medals the country won at the Olympics as a boon. They are its biggest curse.” Jude feels the medals have pushed India irredeemably into a comfort zone. “Combine this with the king-sized egos of our Olympians who just can’t tire citing them as examples. That’s why we haven’t moved forward.”

The former India captain isn’t too thrilled by the victory in the Asia Cup either. “In 1986, we had beaten Korea 7-2 in a match, just like we thrashed them in the Asia Cup in 2007. Believe me, they were unstoppable in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, winning the gold.”“It only shows us how India tends to sit back and relax after a victory. The way we were outplayed twice by Britain in the Chile Olympic qualifiers tells us how well Europeans prepare themselves for the big moments. Mind you, this team finished fifth at the Beijing Olympics. Doesn’t their progress show where we actually are?”

Jude feels the task ahead is Herculean. “If you ask me, there is no hope for Indian hockey . Just the other day, Ajitpal Singh said India would not only qualify for the London Olympics but would emerge as serious medal contenders. Is this guy kidding? Does he know what he is talking about? Does he know that there are at least nine countries who play better hockey than India?”

The malaise, according to Jude, begins and ends with Indian coaches. “Coaches can’t give quality stuff because they are doing a voluntary job. Even at the club level in Singapore, written contracts and remuneration are compulsory. Why do Indian coaches accept the job without a contract? I know it is an honour to coach the national team. But definitely not without a contract.”

The Bangalorean, who led India to a fifthplace finish in the 1994 World Cup, a feat unmatched even 14 years after the joyous evening in Sydney, is also aghast at the way Aussie legend Charlesworth was treated by the country.

“Australia needs Charlesworth but India doesn’t need him. Here is a super coach who was dying to coach India. He was the best, he had the ideas, the solutions and he was here at the right time. He was from the country that played the most entertaining hockey , combining our own ideas with power and precision. He was driven to despair for no reason. Why?”

“Many said Ric always talked about millions and that it was just not worth it. I would say, India would have had to shell out such a huge sum only because it had brought itself to such a sorry state. It’s time we realised we do not have a good coach in our midst. We need the help of a foreign coach. And, a good coach does not come cheap.”

At the same time, Jude sounded a note of caution. “Do you think any foreign coach would step into India after the Charlesworth episode? I think our image has taken a severe beating after the incident.”

In that case, would he be interested in taking the job? “I was keen a few years back. It doesn’t fascinate me any longer. I don’t want associate myself with those administering the game these days. Reviving Indian hockey is another chapter altogether. What India needs to become a champion team, for starters, is consistency which is difficult to achieve in the present system. Till then, even if we do well, it will be a flash in the pan.”

JUDE’S NUGGETS

Indians haven’t fully accepted the truth that they have fallen from grace. Hockey is no longer an Indian strength. Only when India realises it will recovery and revival be possible.

Overage players are a bane. Our progress from junior to senior ranks is not genuine. We field players far too old in the junior tournaments as winning them is our primary aim. We stagnate as we hit the senior ranks even as the other countries graduate in style.

Long camps are counterproductive. They tire out a player before the first match. Short, focused camps help in keeping the players fresh. In India, right from my playing days to date, I have only seen the team slogging it out in long camps without reason or tangible results.