Hockey India

The recent players' rebellion was waiting to explode. Power-hungry officials are bullying the national game.
By Soumitra Bose and Sunil Taneja
The recent happenings in Indian hockey remind us of a current Aamir Khan movie that has made the box office for all the good and controversial reasons. ‘Three Idiots' is a satire on our higher education system that teaches one how to participate in a rat race for excellence in life.
The players' rebellion that recently crippled the national hockey camp for the World Cup is the real reflection of the state of Indian hockey. Players' camps are like dormant volcanoes waiting to explode. Not only pending wages and promised incentives, senior stars were upset that the bigwigs were playing havoc with the life and careers of many players like the blinded goalkeeper, Baljeet Singh.
Hit by a golf ball in the eye during a training camp in Pune, Baljeet's international career is on hold. The goalkeeper, who was India's No. 1 till he lost vision ahead of the tour of Europe last year, is a classic example of official apathy and lack of governance.
It's not a question of money, alone. Hockey is a dangerous business. One of the fastest sport on earth after ice hockey and basketball, field hockey played on synthetic turf, can be a deadly affair. Why are our players not insured by the national federation (Hockey India)? Baljeet's bitter verbal war with the sports ministry on financial aid towards his treatment in the US could have been avoided if he had proper insurance.
Former Indian skipper and goalkeeper Ashish Ballal, known for his acid tongue, has compared the treatment of national hockey stars to the much-publicized Rathore-Ruchika case. He has rightly called the events of this week, the "rape of Indian hockey," asking a pertinent question: "Who will punish hockey's Rathore?"
The problem is Indian hockey has many Rathores. The game has been consistently "molested" from time to time. At least on one count, India's counterparts in Pakistan are relatively better off. At least players have not walked out of a World Cup camp in Pakistan because they have not been paid their legitimate dues. It can be the ultimate disgrace.
Unlike the Pakistan Hockey Federation or the Indian cricket Board, Indian hockey has no structure in place for players' wages. Former president of the now disbanded Indian Hockey Federation, KPS Gill once said: "Match fees are like bribe!" But, at least Gill shared the spoils with the national team whenever they won anything significant.
Many of our national players are employed by private or public bodies. Most players originating from the smaller states like Jharkhand don't have jobs. For them to continue with hockey, there has to be some financial guarantee. Who will provide this?
The Hockey India bosses presented the international hockey vice-president in front of the media the day their talks failed with the players in Pune. Antonio von Ondarza said he was "surprised" that Indian hockey is facing such a crisis. Ondarza is the FIH emissary to resolve Hockey India's administrative issues. He surely was surprised, but is he aware of the socio-economic background of our national players? Is Ondarza aware of the fact that many Indian players belong to families below the poverty line?
Official apathy towards players is nothing new. Hockey wizard Dhyan Chand died in a general ward of AIIMS, Delhi on December 3 1979! So, Baljeet's case doesn't come as a surprise.
Hockey India is uniquely suffering from a lack of governance. It is remote controlled by the Indian Olympic Association boss Suresh Kalmadi, who is also the Commonwealth Games organizing committee chairman. Heading a sports federation is a favourite ‘hobby' of our politicians. It brings them fame, gives them enormous power and international recognition. And if the sport is cricket or hockey, it's nothing like it. After cricket, India is known globally for hockey. So who wouldn't like to head Hockey India?
The chaos leading to the Hockey India elections clearly reflects the power politics. Kalmadi is already under fire for the doubts he has left in everyone's mind on hosting a successful Commonwealth Games. With about 10 months to go, Delhi seems grossly under-prepared and there is no dearth in funding.
The Hockey India president Ashok Mattoo sounded helpless when the players stuck to their guns and refused to take part in the camp. Mattoo said Hockey India was "a newborn organization" and didn't have the finances to pay the players. He wanted the players to check the accounts. It was one of the weirdest "offers" made to national players. But don't blame Mattoo. When a national organization runs on an ad-hoc basis and loves to be remote-controlled, chaos is inevitable.
Kalmadi seemed to arrive like a messiah. One wonders why he took so much time. Probably he thought pressure tactics and the time-tested emotional blackmail of telling players "Play for your country, die for the national jersey" will work wonders. The players, for a change, stood united.
Kalmadi, the shrewd politician that he is, knows to time his arrival on the big stage. He promised the funds, the goodies and the players relented. But wait till you hear that the players have finally got their dues. The officials are brilliant in dribbling past the toughest of situations. A poor show in the World Cup, and that won't be a surprise, can change the entire equation.
Emotions have run high after the ugly episode. Hockey lovers are willing to loosen their purse strings. Sponsors Sahara are willing to pay their fees but hockey insiders know how the Sahara bosses hate to see eye to eye with the Hockey India officials. One of the brothers of the Sahara Parivar, JB Roy, is a staunch rival of the current Hockey India honchos.
The silver lining is that the money is there to be tapped for hockey. The question is who will collect the booty? A democratically elected federation is the need of the hour. Will Indian hockey learn from its mistakes?