HWL 2015: Format is the dampener

If one talks to two set of people in the same team, then you get a clear idea how the question drags them on wrong foot, makes them uneasy. The reply always brings consummate diplomacy.

Its everybody’s interest to know team’s prospects. Every coach wants to win every match.

Every nation, which struggled and sweat hard to reach this level – to be part of HWL Finals in Raipur – wants good results.

Demanding fans and paying public want their team win all matches, thus bring cheers to the sport they cherish.

It is also in the interest of the organizers to see every match in the competition is fought hard just keeping winning in mind so that the event gets popular, marketable and serve the purpose.

Television, which spends a fortune, wants not unyielding matches, matches of inconsequence, or half hearted effort from teams, but full throat competition each day, each moment.

But the normal expectations of coaches, players, fans, organizers, TV etc get blurred with the kind of tournament format that has been in the vogue for our four years from now.

All teams will play three matches each and then based on their pool ranking they get their opponent in the quarterfinal.

Even if a team loses all the three matches in the pool it still has full chance to win remaining three matches and win the Cup!

We witnessed the same with Pak and Germany in the last major tournament India hosted, Champions Trophy in Bhubneswar.

The two countries played badly in the beginning and lost twice yet could move to the final.

Now, the question arises is whether the teams will put their full force behind in the first three matches. Commonsense dictates, why will they.

“Pool matches are important. We will go for win, as it will boost our morale”, said an Argentinean coach. But he added more importance on taking home team against their own crowd.

He had to explain how important it is for their players to play under pressure, for instant when they take on India against their home crowd etc, and he values this as the important gain. He leaves it to our commonsense that winning is next to it, as winning is not going count hardly in the final analysis. The villain here is the format.

In the course of discussion, he had to once clarify that he did not say the pool matches are ‘not important’, but only not ‘Most Important’.

When asked the same question to Ibarro Pedro and another assistant coach they felt the pool matches are ‘most important’. And expectedly explanations and clarifications followed. To justify they take the pool matches seriously! This is the case with everyone from playing side who spoke to media on Wednesday.

Indian goalie PR Sreejesh, who spoke to media today after their evening work out, faced the same awkward question.

At one point he stressed that each match is like a knock out and we have to play that way. His point was against the question that only quarterfinal matters.

International body FIH changes every format and every rules of the game at a drop of hat, but uncharacteristically stuck to the present questionable format for long.

At least for once we suggest them ‘ change mode’ and have a relook at the format.

No aspiring professional sport can waste half of the tournament on inconsequential, ritualistic and not-so-gainless matches.

Hockey deserves a better format, even better approach at planning level