New Delhi, August 5: On Tuesday, a day before he heads to Australia for good — leaving some of his bills still unsettled — Ric Charlesworth said that there was no saving Indian hockey unless the officials who run the sport had the will to change things.

Ric first called the bluff on his contract, which the IOA has been saying got over last month. A copy of a letter from SAI dated December 13, 2007, says that his appointment had been approved by the government for a period of one year. The letter reads: “This is to certify that Mr Richard Charlesworth, Consultant (Hockey) has been appointed by Government of India to work in India for one year from now. He is visiting NIS, Patiala, on official duty as deputed by this office.” It is signed by then SAI Executive Director (Teams) PC Kashyap.

While the IOA has repeatedly said that any dues claimed by Charlesworth would be valid only from March this year, when an official contract was signed, Charlesworth said the letter makes it clear he had been employed at least four months before that.

Wake up to reality

Charlesworth said this was just part of his frustrating experience with Indian authorities. “I kept giving reports on what needs to be done and they kept ignoring my suggestions. I got an idea that there was no will to change from within. But I persisted, hoping things would change, especially after the events of April (when the IHF was suspended),” Charlesworth said.

He also lashed out at India’s “reluctance to learn”. “In the seventies, India were the professional side and we were amateurs. We — whether it was Australia or Holland or Spain — learnt by watching the subcontinent teams and players, because we were not too proud to do so. India are, I feel, too proud to realise that they have stagnated while the rest of the world has moved ahead, so they now need to watch and learn from others,” he said.

Ric said he had decided on quitting when the Indian women’s team for the Olympic qualifiers spent almost 14 hours in Frankfurt en route to Kazan. “That’s not how you treat your athletes!”

When asked whether he had been too rigid in trying to implement the Australian system here, Ric insisted it wasn’t so. “Every country has a different culture, different system, and I would be stupid to try and force something alien. But what is common is practical video analysis and a compilation of database that belongs to the country, not any individual. The players know there is much more that they need and are not getting,” he added.

Money not an issue

Charlesworth also denied that he had wanted more money for himself. “I, for one, want to have nothing to do with money. What I wanted was a clear budget for the sport and a proper administrator to look after it. My role would have been in planning the programme and structure of the teams and the players. These are hockey issues and one should not have to beg a bureaucrat for them.

“In fact, much before my appointment, there were talks with a sponsor between the previous administration. The sponsor had only two conditions: that I come as coach and their man managing the accounts. The deal fell through,” he said, adding that corporatisation of the game was still the only way to go ahead.

Charlesworth did not spare the current administration. “Since April, there is not even a proper office for Indian hockey. There is no programme, no clear structure of duties, no long-term support staff with contracts or financial security… nothing. So how can things work?”

By Uthra Ganesan