ERROL D’CRUZ

Are we in for a grudge match at the Stade Yves-du-Manoir on Tuesday? The Olympic men’s hockey semi-finals pits India against Germany in the 2024 Olympics in Paris. Three years ago, in the Covid-delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics, India broke a 41-year-old medal drought by beating Germany 5-4 to win the bronze medal, doing so by the skin of their teeth.

But if you are looking forward to the spice of revenge-taking on the part of the Germans, you could be mistaken. True, Germany were crestfallen after Sreejesh effected a superlative save 6.12 seconds from the final hooter to preserve India’s lead but reactions from several German players after the pain of defeat eased was as sporting as it could get.

The Germans appreciated the need for India to re-emerge on the podium for the good of hockey in the country. But don’t expect that such a kind sentiment will in any way reduce the intensity with which they’ll attempt to win the semi-final en route to their grand aim of regaining the Olympic gold after 12 years.

India, the record book will say, is the most successful hockey nation. The country has won eight Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title.

Who are the second-most successful hockey nation?

Pakistan have four World Cup titles and three Olympic gold. Germany have four Olympic gold and three World Cup titles. Gold in Paris will take them second on the list – and bring them a “penta” that would place them second to India in the number of Olympic titles.

Germany have eight Euro gold medals and 10 of the now defunct Champions Trophy titles in their cabinet. Add to that seven junior World Cup titles picked up along the way and they have a jam-packed trophy cabinet.

There’s been something to Germany and field hockey. Even though football is king in the country, the statistics clearly point to hockey being the most successful team sport in Germany.

In 1936, Dhyan Chand’s magical Indians beat Hitler’s Germany 8-1 in the Olympic final. The Germans were clearly outplayed and did not emerge from the shadows of Asian hegemony until 1972 where they wrote an epic.

West Germany beat defending champions Pakistan 1-0 in a stormy final to end Asian hegemony of the sport that lasted 44 years. It opened a new chapter in the sport which was soon to establish other European nations such as The Netherlands and Spain as keen competitors for global crowns.

Ironically, it was a man that loved sub-continental hockey that plotted the end of its empire. A German international player called Horst Wein retired at just 31 because he said he was fed up of being a member of losing teams. The Physical Education lecturer took to coaching but imbibed many of the Indian and Pakistani skills and blended them with the cold science of the German.

Wein, whose son Christian Wein represented Germany at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2002 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur, authored two books on coaching titled The Science of Hockey and The Advanced Science of Hockey.

He decoded various facets of the sport, illustrating the sublime skill of the Indian and how it should be utilized by European and Western players even while retaining the science and maintaining the approach towards fitness and tactical development.

He wrote: “If the Indians and Pakistanis learn from their former students – especially in regard to new tactical aspects — then another Olympic final between India and Pakistan is inevitable.”

Stefan Blocher, tall blonde forward who scintillated in the 1980s is and embodiment of Wein’s theories and prescriptions. So is Christopher Ruhr, mercurial forward who is key to the German quest for gold in Paris.

Wein also delved deep into team formations and explained its evolution over the years. But he wasn’t a big fan of the pyramid 5-3-2-1 formation used by India and Pakistan and every other Olympic gold medallists until 1988 save Munich 1972 where Germany went away from tradition.

Come September and the Munich Olympics, Germany were rated favourites for the gold medal. Wein was then Chief Organizer of the tournament and he had already moulded the German challenge with sweeping changes on and off the field.

Germany toured India a few months before the Games and left local observers baffled with a new system of play that eschewed the traditional pyramid and used a sweeper akin to top European soccer nations like his own and The Netherlands.

In that gambit, a player called Uli Voss time and again breached the wafer-thin Indian defence on that tour and had experts in “the home of field hockey” bewildered by what they witnessed on the pitch.

The formation appeared to be 3-3-3-1 and teams found it difficult to unravel.

Whether that was the reason or not, Germany lived up to the form book, winning the gold in front of their own fans in Munich. The fact that the Asian giants could be stopped probably inspired The Netherlands who beat India albeit on penalty strokes the next year in the World Cup final in Amsterdam.

Shortly before the Paris Olympics, German hockey bid adieu to Michael Krause who passed away at 78 years of age. Krause had showcased his hockey stick in the living room – the one he wielded to score the match winner against Pakistan from a penalty corner.

Michael Peter who played as sweeper and would be captain in time to come was a key figure in that triumph. He passed away from cancer at only 47 with most of his German teammates from that glorious summer of 1972 at his bedside.

The entire 1972 squad made it a point to converge every year to commemorate that gold medal win. The bond developed during that surge to glory lasted for decades. They wielded golf sticks instead in relaxed get-togethers.

Germany has maintained their eminence in the sport ever since Munich. But it took another 20 years for their second gold medal that arrived at Barcelona 1992 with a 2-1win over Australia in the final. The triumph followed a painful period of two successive Olympic final defeats to Pakistan (1-2 a.e.t.) at Los Angeles 1984 and Great Britain (1-3) at Seoul 1988.

In Barcelona, Paul Lissek of Junior World Cup fame, was head coach and had many of his young wards now full-blooded senior players under his watch.

Another long wait ensued for a third gold to come Germany’s way. Sixteen years to be precise and it arrived at Beijing 2008. Germany didn’t have to wait for their fourth gold medal, achieving it at the next Olympics in London four years later.

The early 2000s produced a harvest of gold medals for Die Honamas, the nickname of the men’s national team. They won, at long last, the World Cup, doing so in Kuala Lumpur in 2002. They retained the title at home in Monchengladbach four years later. At Beijing they became both Olympic and World Cup champions, thus emulating Pakistan (1982 and 1984) and the Netherlands (1996 and 1998).

After retaining the Olympic gold in London, German hockey went into a hiatus from the top podium. They failed to make the semi-finals of two successive World Cups – The Hague 2014 and Bhubaneswar 2018 – but returned with a bang at the 2023 World Cup held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.

The team did so with characteristic German fortitude, winning their quarter-final against England, semi-final over Australia and final via the tie-breaker to pip holder Belgium. On each occasion, the Germans fought back from two goals down. A feat perhaps unprecedented in any sport!

German hockey, sadly, is still a fringe sport even though it’s a sport that football turns to every now and then. Remarkably, however, Bernhard Peters who coached Germany to two successive World Cup titles was sought by football superstar-turned-coach Jurgen Klinsmann as Technical Director for the country’s football federation. The proposal was rejected, even ridiculed.

Peters, however, proved a point while guiding Germany to hockey glory in Monchengladbach. A day later he was with FC Hoffenheim having accepted an offer from a football club who appreciated his worth.

Another celebrated hockey coach Marcus Wiese who guided German teams to three successive Olympic gold medals — 2004 (women) and 2008 and 2012 (men) was later roped in by the German football academy.

Germany has 83,000 players in a well-organized network of 400 clubs and state associations. It’s family tradition that sustains hockey in a country possessing seven million players in 27,000 football clubs! Half of the hockey playing population are children of parents who played the sport.

Mannheimer HC are the current champions of the Bundesliga comprising 12 teams and attracting a host of foreign players. Mannheimer fields one of them — penalty corner ace drag-flicker Gonzalo Piellat who has switched nationality from Argentina after being a key figure in its 2016 Olympic gold medal victory.

The German sporting philosophy places utmost importance on education. Which is why players are given leeway to choose events to participate based on commitment to education. For instance, Christoph Zeller, the star of the 2006 World Cup chose to give the 2010 World Cup a miss to concentrate on his law examinations.

The Germans have also not fought shy of sending development teams to various tournaments, sometimes much to the ire of the organizers. A virtual second-string side finished bottom of the 2003 Champions Trophy but many of those players were to play significant roles in the World Cup triumph in 2006 at home.

India will face an experienced team in the semi-finals. They had the measure of German teams without several first-choice players in recent FIH Pro League matches but Mats Grambusch’s team will be a different kettle of fish. The 31-year-old midfielder has 205 caps and captains a side comprising defender Mathais Muller, also midfielder (175 caps). Another midfielder, Martin Zwicker, all of 318 internationals, at 37, brings a wealth of experience.

Niklas Wellen, 29, and capped 205 times was the Player of the 2023 World Cup, provides the thrust and verve upfront. Christopher Ruhr has made a comeback from a long injury-induced layoff. The 30-year-old has scintillated with consummate skills for a decade during which he has collected 189 caps.

Jean Danneberg, the 21-year-old goalkeeper standing 6’4” has gone from strength to strength in only 28 internationals including the World Cup final in which he came off best in a shootout against Belgium.

Grambusch’s younger brother Tom (28, 118 caps) sparkles in the defence along with Lukas Windfeder (29, 157).

But all eyes will be on Gonzalo Peillat whose drag-flicking prowess will prove crucial. The 31-year-old has played 52 times for his adopted country after representing Argentina 153 times. He buoyed Germany in the 2023 World Cup in an incredible turnaround against Australia in the semi-finals with another triple strike before scoring one goal in the final. It makes him the only player picking up Olympic and World Cup gold medals playing for different countries.

Coach Andre Henning has a unit well equipped to deliver Germany their fifth Olympic men’s gold medal but will need to be on top of their game against a rejuvenated India. The Germans started in roaring fashion to beat hosts France 8-2 but stuttered against the Spanish, losing 0-2. They bounced back to beat South Africa 5-1 (a team that surprised them 4-3 in Tokyo) and proved their mettle in a humdinger against arch-rivals The Netherlands 1-0 and a 2-1 win over tough customers Great Britain 2-1.