Walsh Issue: Why does achiever Hockey India reverse gear now?

“World Cup will now onwards be known Pre HIL era and Post HIL Era”. This was the words of none other than the FIH chief Leondro Negre two years ago when he came to India on the eve of first Hockey India League.

Hockey India League, the way the first Auction went about, created history in the otherwise conservative world hockey. Now after two years, when an unknown name to Indian fans, Tom Boom of Belgium, stands to amass a whopping USD 103,000 for a single season, the hockey world is more excited.

Tom’s booty, I feel, is probably more than the annual budget of many FIH Member Nations.

Even as we felt momentarily that the HIL is facing slow death with two Franchises withdrawing in quick phase, there came quick counter from Hockey India. Two new owners jumped in.

Last fortnight, Hockey India announced Annual Awards running into amazing Rs. 1 crore

Hockey India, contrarily to its predecessor IHF, has put in place a good working administrative set up, enlarged communication and is dynamic.

It also shed the conservative view of things, and hired foreign experts to boost national teams, for men and women teams.

Now, one its imports, Terry Walsh, has delivered his target of winning the Asian Games Gold, thereby removing the headache of qualifying for the Rio Olympics.

With the recent decent show against Australia, hockey is being talked about among public, came to occupy lost space in the media.

Credit for all such good development naturally goes to the apex body, Hockey India, for steering from top.

If hockey does well, the first beneficiary is Hockey India

It can enlarge its activities, enhance its image, envision better things for future.

Its Hockey India that brought Terry Walsh, though at that time we felt an younger coach would have been preferred. Time has proved HI was right in hiring Terry.

But the developments in the last two days, has put the achiever HI in the bad light of public.

Public at large consider HI’s president Narinder Batra as the villain of the piece.

Most of the social media postings vouchsafe for such a turn around in perception.

Indian public is not dull, as popular Hindi song goes, yeh public hai saab jaanti hai. No one can claim moral upper hand. Time and context is always understood and underlain.

Pulling out an accusation out of nowhere, and telling the country of its own coach has committed ‘Financial Fraud’ is unwelcome, inappropriate and undesirable too.

The accusation is unverified and bad in taste — done in haste.

Its therefore apparent, HI is disinterested in the continuance of Terry Walsh, which is really stunning and surprising.

We don’t know exact reasons for the sudden somersault, but what we require at this time is wisdom.

The bureaucracy is bending backwards, which Narinder Batra wanted always, the political head of sports, Union Minister is going extra mile, coach himself is willing to reconsider his resignation.

Its timee therefore for Narinder Batra to extend warm hands to Terry who can never go against him anytime, against hockey interest anytime.

Batra has been made a member of FIH executive Board, and has got FIH President Award recently. He needs to rise above petty issues, and stand tall and count.

Lest, history will not be polite to him.

There is no need to reverse gear now.