IHF has the muscle to play the spoilsport

MS Unnikrishnan

The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) is increasingly being made out to be the ‘fall guy’ for the present plight of Indian hockey, as neither the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) nor the International Hockey Federation (FIH), recognises its existence.

Both these bodies have “de-recognised” the IHF, to treat Hockey India as the sole custodian of the game in the country. But a court ruling gave the IHF a fresh lease of life, forcing the Sports Ministry to recognise it and creating a situation, which culminated with the FIH withdrawing the Champions Trophy and holding out the threat to pull out the Olympic qualifiers as well. It has also threatened to withdraw the recognition given to HI, leaving India without representation in the world body, which would shut out the country’s participation in international competitions.

Ironically, it was K.P.S. Gill as the president of the IHF who had pulled out hockey from the doghouse and made it a high-profile sport. When Gill first became the president of the IHF nearly 15 years ago, Indian hockey was tottering at the bottom, with no tangible result to boast of. There was no money and the IHF administration was in a mess. Gill came with a formidable reputation as a super cop who had crushed militancy in Punjab with an iron hand. As Director-General of Punjab Police, Gill’s presence at the IHF helm lifted the profile of the game, and hockey began getting the kind of mileage and respect which it had not got for a long time.

Gill not only brought in money but also tidied up the administration, with the quietly-efficient K. Jothikumaran as secretary. But as it invariably happens, when a game takes enough media space and sponsors come calling, detractors also mount and Gill was no exception. The highly successful Indira Gandhi Gold Cup international tournament series, sponsored by the Sahara Group, gave enough financial muscle to the IHF, which in turn got the players better facilities, culminating in India lifting the gold in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok.

The Dhanraj Pillai-led team gave a standout performance to make a top podium finish, but on return, Gill and Jothikumaran’s detractors instigated the players to revolt, seeking better rewards for their Asiad triumph.

Then Gill’s rivals tried to close in to give the knock-out punch, though very few had the guts to face Gill. They adopted subterfuge methods to create a rift in the IHF and succeeded to some extent when Jothikumaran was accused of taking money for sanctioning a tournament.

The FIH was instigated to de-recognise IHF on the plea that the men’s and women’s bodies had not merged for the administration of the game, though IHF and the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) had jointly formed the Indian Hockey Confederation (IHC).

But with the IHF bagging the rights to host the World Cup in Delhi, pressure mounted and the detractors succeeded in the formation of Hockey India. The immediate reason was that India had failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics.

The rest is history, as FIH recognised Hockey India, the Sports Ministry also had to recognise it. IHF was not prepared to accept defeat, fought the case in court and got a verdict in its favour. The Sports Ministry had no other option but to once again recognise it, which resulted in the existence of two bodies, leading to the present situation.

It will not be easy to keep the IHF out from hockey administration and any effort to merge it with HI would be at its own terms, as IHF knows well its bargaining power, and its power to play the spoilsport!