Why not tenures for our ‘Selectors-Observers’
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Why not tenures for our dummy ‘Selectors and Observers!
For long genuine sports lovers have been demanding tenure for officials. Thankfully — courtesy sports-loving advocate Rahul Mehra who filed the PIL in this respect to which the Ministry of Sports had to oblige – two term tenure for key National Federation officials has become a near reality. Stokes’ had been consigned to history’s dustbin.
Unfortunately, if Indian sports have to come up and move ahead professionally, fixing tenure and transparency in elections – which the new guidelines the MS Gill ministry put in place – can at best be considered a beginning.
What is required immediately as the next step is fixing the tenure of pseudos and power-hungrys who stem the sports in the name of Selectors and Observers. Many Federations have come and gone, teams have been formed and dismantled, but these peculiar parasites are gripping the hockey like no other vices would.
If India does not qualify for the Olympics, the KPS Gill regime had to pay public anger, and if India does not win Gold at the Asian Games the coaches had to face the bitter truth of letting the nation down.
When everyone connected to sports is partially accountable and face public wrath, the real people who act as eyes and ears of either the fund giving Ministry or the face of the Sports, the National Federation, never come under any scrutiny. THIS IS UNFAIR.
Recently, we were told the Selectors and Observers advocated discontinuance of foreign coach Brasa for the national team.
Strictly speaking, these selectors and observers have been in the thick of things — who did not allow any freedom to coach whom they comfortably castigate now — are equally accountable.
But what happens is, under the garb of service to the games these gentleman — who are almost clueless as any other common fan on the ills that affect hockey’s progress — sit on the seat of judgement.
Our team at Asiad was the one these selectors selected with the observers nod, and gave it to coach Brasa. If these boys fail, first thing to have happened is, collective resignation of these gentlemen owning moral responsibility. But they change the course, and prefer to sit on the judgment.
The fact of the matter is, they are unfit to pass judgment for the sole reason they are interested party to coach, or sulking former coaches who never delivered, or failed players or captains.
Ajit Pal, our quintessential observer, coached the 1986 World Cup team that finished at the 12th, the last.
Zafar Iqbal led India to 1-7 loss at the 1982 Asian Games.
BP Govinda, a great former player, killed a World Cup and an Asian Games by not being part of the former and then being part of the latter after he was given the leadership and the captain of the World Cup was sidelined. The country needed the both, but Govinda kept himself before the country. In 1978, India faced two major disasters because of this gentleman’s self obsession.
The fourth man who form the core of current Selectors and Observers is Col. Balbir Singh, who in his late 60s, hardly keep abreast of world hockey, tried many times to be the men’s national coach (he lost out to MK Kaushik in 1998) — and then who can forget he was the coach of the 1982 Asian Games.
How can all these four gentlemen, despite being class player of their prime and thus have our respect, sit on the seat of judgement now? I definitely feel they have a streak of sadism to see no foreign coach give results, which will in many ways will be construed as an indictment to their coaching caliber whenever given the chance.
This might be a harsh perspective of the things, but this is a stark reality. I have nothing to feel these gentlemen ever acted on their own wisdom, trailing of events in the past 20 years prove they have been taking sides of the administrators in the IHF / HI or babus of the Ministry and SAI.
These ‘His Masters Voice’s are the public face of the Indian hockey, the wannable hockey commoner take their views, their judgments seriously without doubting their intentions.
The problem is, they have over the last 20 years overseen the decline of Indian hockey.
The best way to get rid of this malaise is to have a tenure for these selectors and observers.
These gentlemen have been in the seat of Selectors and Observers, singing the tune of their masters for long. Ever since I came to report hockey, I have been hearing Ajit Pal is either Selector or Observer, and it applies to others as well.
Therefore, it is advisable to have just two tenures for these gentlemen also.
Before appointing any body for these useless posts, the concerned authorities should ask the same set of players, who soak and don’t allow new faces, as to how many years / tenures they had functioned in these posts previously. Hope they have the record. Else, we at s2h are ready to prepare and post it online in the interest of the game.
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You are always right Sir!Yes,they should take responsibility.Mr.Brasa was asking for Prabhjot they dont give to him,not call to camp.Is he is not good palyer?They have the responsibility more than anyone other.Not people knows and we have to make movement against them.I was in 4 th class that time in Asian games final.How we lost to Pakistan ,we saw this match on B/W TV,what we feel we know.Now these people are the selectors.Now Mr.Rahul did this its came late but good.Sometimes we are thinking why we are watchig hockey.We prepare the people here in UAE who dont know the hockey to watch the matches.We all are watching, Hockey lovers has to make a movemnet ( a wave)to make so the people can understand the truth.Other wise it will be very late !!We should be ready to face the big distaster otherwise with the administration and So called selectors and obeservers.
Dear Sir,
Once again U come with truly good point regarding Foreign Coach as u r always. If we go for Indian Coach, I’m sure the controversies will raise between selectors and Coach because of their Egotism thinking they are administrating Hockey in right Path. So we should keep the brilliant Brasa who did better than what we expected from him till 2012 Olympia. If we play Qualifiers with Brasa, we can easily enter London without doubt as home turf an another advantage. Right now, what we should look is organizing more International Test Series with countries which will play Qualifiers here. Changing Coach will really affect our London 2012 Hopes lot. But they won’t pay for it if so. You should raise this Issue at national level, so that the Services Brasa offered will carry Indian Hockey to next level which always we wish. Thanks for your solid efforts to Indian Hockey Sir.
I fully endorse what has been said by Mr Ranganathan with an addition get rid of the selectors, retain Mr Basra/Harender
Sir you are right.Now who cares for team’s performance.Mr Batra wants to keep his seat for antoher four years.One Granny President just resigned from Hockey India .Now One Mariamma Koshy(interim President) Who is a puppet in the hands of Mr.Batra.She was nobody in Kerala.She was presently only a District President of Ernakulam District Women’s Hockey Association.She was directly recruited to Hockey India Vice Presidentship and Now to Presidentship.What a pity for Indian Hockey?What is Government of India doing? Do they have any responsibilty in taking decisions and management of Sports in the Country?Under these circumstance nobody can expect more from these Chamchas.
Finally the hockey community feels like they have a voice. However small the voice, it is a voice that is certainly heard. In days gone by, one had no say unless you were part of a major media group or affiliated to the “wannabe” powers in some way. Mr. Arumugam raises a great point. The same people who hypocritically criticize Brasa, are the ones who should be held accountable in the first place-after all they left Brasa out of it, gave him no say, and selected the team all by themselves. Also, we did pretty well in the recently concluded Asian Games. We were certainly the best team on display- no matter the final result. But to then go and blame Brasa for all the perceived misgivings of the team is pure hypocrisy. Not unlike what we have seen all these years by these “chamchas’ but hypocrisy all the same. Thankfully, in this internet age, they are being well exposed and so many more of us now have a say. Yes, let’s take a closer look at their cushy relationships with the hockey “powers”. Let’s make them accountable. Lets put tenures on their usefulness. Maybe Indian Hockey might just benefit.