Is Enough not enough

Scene 2003: India lost just 8 matches out of 26. Success rate – 70 %

Scene 2004: India barely wins 17 matches out of 61. Success rate – 28%

What is the difference between 2003 and 2004?

The IHF

The IHF messed up everything – changed the coaches, cannibalized their support staff in the early 2004. Excited, and without eliciting scientific views, it tripled the exposure trips, over-trained the players, spent a fortune out of public money, with a result the team flopped every where, including in the Olympics. India lost continuously nine matches to Pakistan in 2004, a dubious record indeed.

Why Mr. Gill, the IHF president, the IHF Selection Committee Chairman?

I will be enlightened if some body lets me know any of the president’s of the 110 National Federations that comprise the FIH family is also Chairman of Selection Committee? Despite the double role Mr. Gill never owned up moral responsibility.

Under Gill’s IHF, we finished seventh twice and eighth once in three Olympics; same rankings in the last two World Cups.

“Sorry, I am failed”. Why can’t a person of stature like Gill say something like this, and pave way for the fresh thinking. But what we hear is anti-IHF constitutional approach of advancing election for his fourth term!

Gill may win thousand elections, continue to be president till the universe exist. If moral responsibility and public accountability are not there, what is the use? Just the ability to win elections won’t do. What have you not achieved in your professional career? You saved the country from terrorism. Why do you fail in a small matter of running hockey? Because, this is not your field. You depend on others, who often misled you. That is why perhaps you punished those who brought laurels to the country.

See this

All the three coaches who helped India achieve landmark victories were shabbily treated.

The coach who led India to its first Asian Games success in 32 years was kicked out

The coach under whom India won the first FIH tournament on synthetic surface (Champions Challenge Cup) and because of that we could figure in the last three editions of Champions Trophy, was humiliated.

The coach who gave us first ever Asia Cup victory and three more victories in one year alone was given marching orders a month before the Olympics.

Because, someone in the IHF set up, or who forms the electoral college, can’t see the performing coaches.

No system of selection is in place in the IHF. Nor are assessment reports made after tours. Vested interests have a field day. Unknown, raw faces made trips, dumped after single tour, some not even entered the turf for a minute! At the same time, time tested talents got a raw deal.

Sample of chaos that is the present day Indian hockey:

Iqbal Singh Rahal: After just one camp, was taken to Australia in 2002. Not heard of after that.

Ajitpal Singh: Last played in 2001 for A teams. Taken to Australia in 2004, not played in 4 of the 8 matches there; in all less than 30 minutes of play. Dumped after this single tour.

Raju: Taken to Australia in 2004. Was not fielded in 4 out of 8 matches, one match at 70th minute, in all less than 40 minutes in the entire tour. Dumped thereafter.

Didar Singh: Classic case of favouritism. Never played even Jr. Nationals, directly taken to 2003 Champions Trophy. Was in the playing 16 once, not fielded on the turf even for a minute! Just two matches then in the Asia Cup; became the gold medalist. Soon discarded.

Jatinder Pal Singh: Rising star, was played just in single match in Canberra and in all 50 minutes in the entire tour. Later he settled in Canada.

Daljit Singh: Not considered after the 2002 Asian Games; sudden import for the 2004 camp. Replaced Tejbir at Madrid Olympic Qualifier. Not played in 5 of the 7 matches, in the other two, less than 10 minutes each. Pamphered Daljit figures in many vilent attacks on the field, and gets banned.

Bharat Chetri: Played all tournaments in 2002 post World Cup but just only once in the whole of 2003. Get to play just one match at Madrid OQ. We last saw him in the Delhi 2005 Sultan Azlan Cup. He is constantly dened his due.

William Xalco: Star of the 2004 Sultan Azlan Cup was played in just one match at Madrid OQ. But rises on his strength to cement his place in the team.

2003 February Manesar camp: S.K. Singh, Satish Kumar, Ajeet Singh, Harjeet Singh, Gurinder Singh, Navdeep Singh and many more unknown faces. Never called for the second camp.

2005: SAZ camp: Despite conducting under iron curtain, an enterprising journalist found a player not in the official list take part in the camp.