News for 10 January 2010
Sunday, 10 January 2010 08:24 | 
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All the news for Sunday 10 January 2010
Maybank steal KLHC's thunder
Jugjet Singh
KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club were finally brought down to earth at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday when Maybank held them to a 1-1 draw in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division.
It was KLHC's first blemish after seven matches, but coach R. Vivekanandan saw it as a blessing instead.
KLHC took the lead off Amirullah Aziz in the 12th minute, but Hairul Nizam equalised for the Tigers in the 52nd minute.
The match was an interesting affair, as KLHC had 33 shots on goal but could only score one, while Maybank only had 13 shots but managed to steal a point off the leaders.
"We had plenty of opportunities in the semi-circle, and also five penalty corners but failed to collect maximum points.
"However, I believe every team have off days, and I am glad it came at this stage. The fault was not on fitness or skill, but mental strength, and I will address this before we head to Johor next weekend," said Vivekanandan.
Maybank coach S. Velappan said: "It was a burning desire to win, which saw my players come back from a goal down to hold the tournament favourites."
The Tigers know, realistically, KLHC are too far ahead to chase, so they will battle Tenaga and Sapura for second spot.
"Second spot is valuable, as we will have an easier quarter-final draw," said Velappan.
Tenaga Nasional also kept second spot in sight when they blasted Nur Insafi 6-1.
The Tenaga goals were scored by Faizal Shaari (15th, 37th, 41st), Sallehin Ghani (32nd), Tajol Rosli (44th) and Fairuz Ramli (51st).
Kul Bushan scored the consolation for Nur Insafi in the 53rd minute.
RESULTS: KL Hockey Club 1 Maybank 1, Nur Insafi 1 Tenaga Nasional 6, UniKL 0 Sapura 1.
New Straits Times
KLHC held by Maybank as Tenaga close gap to four points
By AFTAR SINGH
KUALA LUMPUR: Leaders Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) were lucky to escape with a 1-1 draw against Maybank in their Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division match at the Tun Razak Stadium yesterday.
Despite the draw, newcomers KLHC, powered by several number of national players, saw their lead cut to four points.
KLHC now head six-team league standings with 19 points with three rounds remaining. Tenaga, who whipped Nur Insafi 6-1 yesterday, are second on 15 points.
In the first round match on Jan 2, KLHC defeated Maybank 3-1 in Penang.
In yesterday’s match, KLHC started off promisingly by taking the lead through Mohd Amerullah Abdul Aziz in the 12th minute.
Kelvinder Singh beat two players in the D before squaring the ball to Amerullah who slammed it into goal.
Despite creating a number of chances KLHC failed to increase their tally. And it was Maybank, who had a slow start, who picked up momentum to create several good moves and they were rewarded with a field goal in the 53rd minute.
Hairul Nizam Abdul Rani made a solo run from the top of the D before flicking the ball past goalkeeper KLHC Khairulnizam Ibrahim.
KLHC went all out to find the winner but Maybank’s defence held sway.
Maybank coach S. Velappan said that his players wanted to notch a win but just could not find the winner.
“I am happy with the fighting spirit shown by my players. We lost the first match 3-1 but managed to hold them to a 1-1 draw,” said Velappan.
KLHC coach R. Vivekanandan, meanwhile, was unhappy with the his forward for missing so many chances.
“We penerated Maybank’s semi-circle 33 times and only managed one goal while they managed to penerate our defence 13 times.
“We cannot afford to miss chances if want to win the league title,” said Vivekanandan.
In another match, national forward Faisal Saari scored a hat-trick to steer Tenaga Nasional to a thumping 6-1 win over Nur Insafi.
Tenaga maintain their second spot in the league with 15 points from five wins and two defeats.
The Kelantan player was on target in the 15th, 37th and 41st. The other goals were scored by Mohd Sallehin Abdul Ghani (32nd), Tajol Rosli ((49th) and Mohd Fairuz Ramli (51st).
Kul Bhushan Vashist replied for Nur Insafi in the 53rd minute.
In the last match of the day, Sapura edged Universiti Kuala Lumpur 1-0 to chalk up their third win.
The solitary goal was scored by former national junior defender Ahmad Kazamirul Nasruddin in the 24th minute.
The Star of Malaysia
HI confident of resolving payment dispute with players
NEW DELHI: India's revolting hockey players and the game's administrators on Saturday held preliminary discussions to resolve a payment dispute that has stalled an ongoing World Cup preparatory camp in Pune.
The players, who flew down from Pune this morning, met Hockey India President A K Mattoo and some other top officials, demanding payment of their dues and increased salaries.
"We have already broken the ice and everything is under control now. The players have some commitment now and they will come back in the evening," Mattoo told reporters here after the first round of meeting.
"We will have another round of meeting in the evening and I am confident that the issues will be resolved," he added.
Assistant coach of the team Harendra Singh, who was also present at the meeting, refused to comment on the current crisis.
"I don't want to make any comments on this controversy. All I can say is that the preparations for the World Cup are going on well and the boys are training as a unit," he said.
The unprecedented boycott of the camp followed Hockey India's failure to resolve the payment dispute despite the players submitting two letters.
"We have decided to boycott the camp indefinitely till we are paid our money. We took such a decision in a meeting of players last night", captain Rajpal Singh had said.
The revolt comes barely six weeks before the hockey World Cup in New Delhi and is bound to have a bearing on the preparations for the high-profile event scheduled from February 28 to March 13.
The senior players were annoyed by the delay in payment and had written a letter to Mattoo demanding that money be paid within seven days.
The letter had no mention about the pullout but sources said that the players had actually made up their mind to withdraw from the camp if the payment was not made in a week's time.
Although the players claimed that they had given HI time till January 8 to resolve the issue, Mattoo said no such deadline was given to them.
The Times of India
Hockey officials, players make headway for talks
NEW DELHI: Hockey India (HI) officials and six senior India players made some headway when they met on Saturday to resolve the issues arising out of non-payment of sponsorship money, match fees and bonuses, sparking a revolt in the camp in Pune.
HI president Ashok Kumar Mattoo met the players, including captain Rajpal Singh, who arrived from Pune in the afternoon.
"We have broken the ice and things are moving in the right direction," Mattoo said.
"The players have some prior commitments and after that we will meet them again and I am hopeful that the issue will be resolved," Mattoo said.
Skipper Rajpal Singh, Sandeep Singh, Sardara Singh, Tushar Khandekar, Prabhjot Singh and Arjun Halappa, along with caoch Harendra Singh, met Mattoo.
The Times of India
Stalemate ends, players to get nothing, now
s2h Team
Officials of the Hockey India finally managed to convince country’s top players -- who had raised the issue of cash incentive and system of gradation -- to return camp and take up practice.
The players had even threatened to boycott the training camp if their issues are not sorted out. Their outbursts hit the headlines.
But after a marathon session today that lasted four hours in the Capital, both Hockey India and players’ representative Rajpal Singh, were on the same platform and echoed a similar views ---the issue had been settled and training will be resumed from Sunday, was all that they said. But it’s certain that things will take a different shape, in the near future, and it would depend on the attitude of the HI Officials. however, HI's interim president told the television channels that money was not the issue discussed, and the manner we approached and discussed the issues won the day.
In all probability, Hockey India, wanted to keep the minutes of the meeting under wrap -- if at all one prepared-- which was why transparency was the last thing on the mind of the those who are involved in the two-day drama.
What all they wanted was to defuse the crises that had cropped up from nowhere, disturbing the ambience projected for up coming Hockey India elections. Finally, it was managed. What is more surprising, some of the officials of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) that had constituted Ad-hoc body--Hockey India, to run the affairs of the game in the country, were divided over the issue of cash incentives to players.
Some officials of the IOA say players should get their dues, while Mattoo & Co had termed the issue as baseless, saying it’s not for the good of the game. "Players should focus on the game and shouldn’t get involved in politics," Mattoo had said.
One has to wait and watch what happens next!
It is believed that the managment has assured incentive if team performs well in future
Players have understood our problem, we have understood their problem", said Matoo to the group of waiting media men around 10 'O' clock in the night. Uhnfortunately, the empty coffers of the Hockey India, which came to light to players today, helped to solve the problem to a large extent, though players are not going to get anything as of now.
Earlier Postings on the subject
At the time of writing this report (20 hrs), the meeting between players and the Hockey India officials are still going on at Lalit Hotel in New Delhi.
Earlier in the day, six Indian players reached Delhi as planned, and stayed at Le Merredian Hotel, which is offical hotel of the 2010 World Cup.
Around 14 hours they went to Trade Fair Grounds where Auto Expo is going on; it was part of being with the Hero Honda stall there.
They returned to Meridien Hotel in the evening, only to be taken to Lalit Hotel for discussion on the topic which hogging the headlines nowadays -- players' payment issue.
Earlier, in the morning, Hockey India's interim president AK Mattoo said the 'the ice has been broken' indicating that the headway has been made to find a solution to the vexed question.
Stick2Hockey.com
Empty coffers empties players’ hopes
s2h Team
When players and officials sit across table, we have seen umpteen number of times in the sports annals of India, officials will always come out triumphant.
Same happened now. Nothing unusual happened yesterday -- despite unusual belligerent players build up and media frenzy -- when the much hyped meeting between Hockey India officials and six players met to sort out the issues which the players raised before the media in Pune.
Utilizing a sponsors invite to be in Delhi, without spending a single pie – when players revolt came a couple of months ago at least one Indian official flew to Pune, which cost some money – from its pocket, smart Hockey India solved the problem across dinner table.
How was the ‘miracle’ happened.
The officials showed the players their bank accounts to impress upon the players that they don’t have money as the media world would have led them and teh world to believe otherwise. In fact, they convinced the players they are in debt.
So the Hockey India does not have money, they are paupers. Factually correct. Now the questions.
If you don’t have money, if you don’t know how to bring money, why don’t you bring a businessman of your choice – I certainly don’t mean JB Roy alone – not just to get money from him, but also to corporatize the sport. Then why a politicians run the show with a couple of stooges?
Here comes the question, the vexed one that the Indian sports is living with it without answers.
All politicians want to keep businessman outside, Mallays and Thapars failed in football for instance, and intentionally want to keep their sports poor.
Now the Hockey India, before that ad-hoc committee, and all are almost two years in the office. If they did not have money why can't they say sportingly, sorry, let someone competent come and manage the show.
Why in such scenario of pauperism, Kalmadi did not want to leave hockey? Why, like in the 40s, you have to take loan to run hockey when the vast corporate world is waiting for you. The FIH has done far better than the HI.
Citing Sahara case with respect to already signed a contract till 2011 won’t do beyond a point Because, team sponsorship is not the only thing available for hockey in the vast Indian market. (One thing clear here is LSM under-sold hockey, hooked it to 8 years at a throwaway price to Sahara who seem unconcerned about hockey expect seeing their logos on the players’ jerseys).
Two years since the Kalmadi group is in the power of hockey, it is faily a long period to do something.
Punjab Government wants to spend a fortune on hockey, Punjab Gold Cup was just beginning, but the cronies in the HI did not even give them affiliation.
If your attitude is not inclusive, if your attitude is to remain a permanent pauper, what else can others do?
Prepare code of conduct and be wary of opening newspapers next day, fearing a negative report on their own malfeance, and put off phones, cannot help run hockey.
Neither the players nor the HI served the cause of hockey, the wholse issue is waste of time.
Players perfectly timed it on their holidays, which we in the site have already mentioned in our first report.
Society at large supported the players cause but only lip service. SRK’s tweet is another joke. Comparable only to a photograph wherein the six players and HI officials showing victory sign yesterday.
What is there to celebrate, permanent paupers?
Rajpal and Co will come to know the cost of their strike in the coming months.
It will take time for the same players to understand how millions rupees will come into play when the question of capturing seat of power, comes. That time none of the 'paupers' the players met will seem and behave like be paupers.
Money will also come if the officials have to attend a meeting -- another term for jaunt -- even if that venue is Argentina or America -- an official certainly went by executive class for the FIH congress.
Stick2Hockey.com
Hockey players forced to end strike
C. Rajshekhar Rao
New Delhi: Prominent members of the Indian hockey team, who were in the capital on Saturday for a sponsors’ function, spent considerably more time with officials of Hockey India (HI) to sort out the issue related to payments which led to a boycott of a national camp in Pune.
At the end of a hectic day of parleys, hockey officials managed to convince players to resume practice, purportedly without committing on the monetary aspects that led to the mini revolt.
“The matter has been amicably resolved with officials. We are going back to Pune to resume our preparations for the World Cup,” said captain Rajpal Singh, while refusing to reveal what the arrangement regarding payments was.
HI chief AK Mattoo too did not want to discuss how the compromise was worked out, amid speculation that officials had managed to put pressure through various players’ employers. Rajpal, along with Sandeep Singh and Prabhjot Singh was among those to first attend a small function at the Hero Honda (sponsors for the upcoming World Cup in New Delhi) stall at the Auto-Expo at Pragati Maidan, before making it for the meeting at a prominent five-star hotel.
At the Auto-Expo, all Prabhjot would indicate was that the players were very serious about the issue and that it had to be sorted out at the earliest. This is not the first time that Indian hockey officials have been in the midst of a controversy.
There has been criticism of their manner of putting a unit in place for upcoming elections, which will now not be held on January 29 as was earlier planned, because of a delay in the commencement of its process.
DNA
Players & HI patch up, refuse to divulge details
Shubhodeep Chakravarty
Hockey India (HI) and the national team resolved their differences over financial matters on Saturday and the players will return to practice on Sunday. The breakthrough came at a meeting of six members of the team including skipper Rajpal Singh, Prabhjot Singh and Sandeep Singh with HI officials in the Capital.
HI president, Ashok Kumar Mattoo, and Rajpal Singh emerged all smiles from the meeting that lasted several hours. Mattoo termed the meeting as meaningful and said that all complaints had been addressed “in a mutually consenting manner”.
“HI is a large family and differences can crop up. It’s natural, but financial issues can never come in the middle of the Indian team and the World Cup. We heard what the players had to say and put forth our constraints. We have found a middle path,” he said.
A tired-looking Rajpal Singh looked relieved. “We will resume practice from tomorrow. All matters have been settled and I am satisfied with the response from HI,” he said.
However, both Mattoo and Rajpal refused to divulge details of the settlement reached. “It is a private matter,” said Mattoo.
Surprisingly, Rajpal said that the players never really went on strike but were merely proving a point. “Strike is an improper term to associate with our behaviour in the last two days.”
The players had refused to practice due to non-payment of dues. “We had certain problems but I don’t want to get into the details as we have reached a consensus,” said the Indian skipper. He remained firm on not divulging the details of what was agreed upon or what transpired in the meeting.
Mattoo, who had threatened the players with strict action, was in a forgiving mood after Saturday’s meeting. “Let us forget the past and look to the future. The entire team will come to Delhi and I am confident of their prospects in the World Cup. I wish them luck.”
Hindustan Times
Players' revolt over payment issue ends
NEW DELHI: The bitter payment dispute between India's national hockey players and the game's administrators was on Saturday night resolved after a marathon meeting, paving the way for the resumption of the World Cup preparatory camp in Pune which had been stalled because of the row.
Six senior players including captain Rajpal Singh flew down from Pune to hold discussion with the top officials of Hockey India before an amicable solution was reached with both parties "promising to move forward".
Hockey India president AK Mattoo told waiting reporters that the dispute is over but declined to elaborate on the financial details of the agreement with the revolting players.
"The issue has been resolved. Hockey India is for the development of hockey in the country. We had a meaningful dialogue and discussion with the players in free and fearless atmosphere," Mattoo said.
"We have understood their issues. They have also understood our problems. We both the parties have decided to move forward because right now World Cup is our first priority. I am confident of a podium finish in the World Cup."
Rajpal also addressed the media and said they are ready to resume practice since all the issues have been resolved.
"We are going in for practice tomorrow. Whatever the problem was, has been solved. Our job is to play on the ground and the administrators' job is to look after all other issues," Rajpal said.
"It was good that we met face to face and discussed the matter in detail. The meeting turned out to be a very positive one," Rajpal added.
The skipper refused to divulge details of what understanding the players had reached with HI, saying it was matter not for public consumption.
"It is between us and Hockey India and I won't comment on it before media."
Mattoo also refused to talk about the issue. "It is between Hockey India and the players. The financial issues will never come in the way of World Cup. We have taken note of their every suggestion. We will work on them," he said.
The boycott of the players, which had plunged Indian hockey into a fresh crisis yesterday was resolved only after a series of meeting right through the day.
Apart from Rajpal, five other senior players - Prabhjot Singh, Sandeep Singh, Arjun Halapaa, Tushar Khandekar and Sardara Singh - were part of the negotiations with Hockey India who were represented by Mattoo, Harish Sharma, Jagbeer Singh and Rajiv Mehta.
Assistant coach Harendra Singh was also present in the meeting which was stretched to four hours.
Rajpal was confident that the payment row will not affect the World Cup preparations.
"No no, it will never affect the morale of the team. The boys are training as a unit and hopefully we will finish on the podium in the World Cup," he said.
Although financial details were not divulged, it is learnt that players have been promised a graded payment structure and also hefty incentives for winning titles in international tournaments.
HI has also assured them of clearing all their dues and may also look into the possibility of increasing remuneration.
The unprecedented boycott of the camp followed Hockey India's failure to resolve the payment dispute despite the players submitting two letters.
The revolt comes barely six weeks before the hockey World Cup in New Delhi scheduled from February 28 to March 13.
The senior players were annoyed by the delay in payment and had written a letter to Mattoo demanding that money be paid within seven days.
Although the players claimed that they had given HI time till January 8 to resolve the issue, Mattoo said no such deadline was given to them.
The Times of India
HI asks for time, players agree to train
Age correspondent
Hockey India on Saturday asked for 20 days time to resolve issues arising out of non-payment of sponsorship money, match fees and bonuses, sparking a revolt in the Indian camp in Pune. Six senior players flew down to the capital and agreed to resume training after a series of promises made by Hockey India officials here on the day.
Hockey India president A.K. Mattoo, it is learnt, assured the players of a solution by January 31, asking them to begin training at the earliest.
The players put forth their demands -- a graded payment system, fixed salaries, insurance cover and pending dues in the last year -in a marathon four-hour meeting attended by Mattoo, Hockey India secretary Narendra Batra, technical director Jagbir Singh, besides national coach Harendra Singh.
Citing lack of funds, Mattoo initially offered the players a sum of Rs 25,000 each, which was rejected immediately.
Said a player on condition of anonymity, "Hockey India officials showed us their accounts in the last year, and said that they have a total fund of Rs 1 crore. Now since, they have four teams to look after -men's and women's senior and junior squads -- they said Rs 25,000 was all they had to offer.
"How can a one-time payment of Rs 25,000 resolve any issue? We asked for regular salaries and we won't settle for anything less."
The players refused to budge and even demanded a direct meeting with team sponsors Sahara India, who have reportedly paid a sum close to Rs 3.5 crores recently to Hockey India. Mattoo then asked the players to wait till the Hockey India elections, finally breaking the truce. The players agreed on the 20day deadline and agreed to resume training for the World Cup beginning February 28.
"The World Cup is just a month away, and we understand that not much time can be lost. The players will begin training from tomorrow. We will now wait for another 20 days, and see what happens," the player said.
The players have also sought personal insurance cover, especially after a career-threatening injury to goalkeeper Baljit Singh.
Skipper Rajpal Singh said later, "We are going in for practice tomorrow. Our job is to play on the ground and the administrators' job is to look after all other issues."
Apart from Rajpal, five other senior players -Prabhjot Singh, Sandeep Singh, Arjun Halapaa, Tushar Khandker and Sardara Singh were part of the negotiations with Hockey India
The Asian Age
Shah Rukh Khan tweets against hockey raw deal
MUMBAI: Hockey players are not alone in their fight against the establishment. They have in their corner Shah Rukh Khan, who played the role of hockey coach Kabir Khan in the 2007 Bollywood blockbuster 'Chak De! India'.
Khan, who also played hockey in his college days, expressed solidarity with the players and anguish at the current state of the game in the country on his Twitter page on Saturday.
"(I) feel awful for the Indian hockey team. To play for the country... (the) national sport and have to ask for salary. And we complain we don't win gold," the superstar, who co-owns IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders, wrote.
Another actor, Gul Panag, also rued the sad plight of hockey players. "Sad that our hockey team has to constantly fight for its dues — and not just financial. Whereas cricket..." - she didn’t have to spell it out.
Meanwhile, what started with a bang in Pune ended with a whimper in the Capital on Saturday. Indian hockey's 'watershed meeting' petered out into a session where both Hockey India and the rebel players discussed the money aspect but resolved to concentrate on the game instead.
It's apparent that HI, like KPS Gill-led Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) in the past, has managed to gag the players for the time being. The players will resume practice at the Balewadi complex on Sunday.
Both HI officials and the players were cagey after the marathon meeting which went on for close to three hours. HI president AK Mattoo said the players had listed out the problems to him which he has promised to look into.
One major complaint was about the diet at the Pune camp, which again the HI promised to look into. Skipper Rajpal Singh too said the problems had been sorted out.
"We have no problem now. It was a good meeting. We will not disclose the discussions we had on money matters. This is between us players and HI," he said. Besides the diet, the players also wanted a group insurance policy in place.
But behind all the ostensible camaraderie lay the truth that the players were told, in curt terms, that they had committed the cardinal sin of going to the media with their problems.
"The players and coaches are bound by a code of conduct which says they have been barred from going to the media. This was pointed out to them. They did admit that they had done the wrong thing," a source told TOI.
HI also did some tough talking, saying the players were faced with two choices - playing for India and not playing for India. "We knew they were misguided by a group. And when we talked straight they realised that what they were doing was not right," said an official.
This was obvious in the uncommunicative ways of the players and HI after the meeting. What the players were also told is that that the present body in charge of HI would only consider their requests and recommend implementation to the democratically elected body which may take charge in the coming weeks. "This body is only a caretaker in nature."
What also became evident after the meeting was the players' sudden animosity towards the media. "Some of our statements were twisted in the media which created a lot of confusion," was Rajpal's strange comment.
The meeting was attended by Mattoo, Jagbir Singh, Anupam Ghulati, players Rajpal Singh, Sandeep Singh, Arjun Halappa, Tushar Khandker, Prabhjot Singh, Sardar Singh and coach Harendra Singh. The players were 'suitably convinced' on the money front, officials insisted.
"There is no such thing as dues. They were seeking monetary rewards and we told them that we would make suitable recommendations to the new body which takes over. We also convinced them in the meeting that we had no power or money to pay them. We are already in debt, having borrowd Rs 1 crore from a bank besides taking a loan of Rs 50 lakh from the Indian Olympic Association."
The Times of India
SRK for once feels about hockey, in twitter
s2h team
Kabir Khan of Chak De India fame, Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) has expressed his views about the revolt by the Indian hockey players.
Shah Rukh, on his Twitter page, says “feel awful for the Indian hockey team. to play for the country...national sport and have to ask for salary. and we complain we dont win gold”
Shah Rukh himself is a keen sport lover as he owns a cricket team in IPL, and was a hockey player during his study days.
Indian players’ revolt has certainly jolted the nation as this revolt has come just a few weeks before the World Cup.
And this is not happening for the first time, when the Indian players are ‘demanding’ their rights. After Asia Cup 2007 victory, Indian team had to be satisfied with only words, while the Cricket team, that won the T20 World Cup, was weighed with money. That saw Indian players ‘threaten’ to go on strike unless they got the reward for the Chennai success.
I am sure, still SRK doesn’t know the real picture. I am sure, King Khan, who, according to reports, charged Rs 5 crore for a 10-minute appearance in a private New Year bash at Gurgaon, would be shocked to know that the Indian hockey players neither get any match fees nor have any central contract from the Hockey India!
Shah Rukh Khan, who shelled crores for his team in IPL, would bite his fingers to know that the hockey players get paid by the hockey governing body (HI/IHF) only after a podium finish! And that amount too, hasn’t reached them since an year despite putting up a great show during Canda tour or bronze at Champions Challenge.
So, the only certain source of income for the players is the salary from their domestic team, and in that case, Shah Rukh seems absolutely right in saying that how can we expect Olympics or World Cup gold medals from them!
Stick2Hockey.com
Turf fight leaves hockey HI & dry
Bobilli Vijay Kumar
When Indian hockey slipped into a new body more than a year ago, one thought it would be saying HI to a new system, to a new way of thinking too; sadly, it looks like it merely said bye to a tyrant and embraced a bigger evil: a multi-headed monster, an invisible one at that.
Earlier, you at least knew who was causing the damage; now, you can’t even fathom who is pulling the strings from behind the veil; or, indeed, eating away hockey’s very soul from within. Soon, unless a miracle strikes at the right places, we will probably only see broken sticks and broken hearts on astro-turfs.
When the IOA stepped into the rot, after India failed to make the Beijing Olympic Games, the country openly rejoiced: everyone believed that it would bring the game back on its feet. Unfortunately, all that was nothing but wishful thinking: forget moving forward, the sport has stopped running on the same spot even.
It is quite apparent now that the IOA didn’t really have the well-being of its national game; instead of cleaning up the mess, and reviving hockey, it simply became part of the decay. As the story slowly becomes clearer, one can vividly see the bigger design behind all this drama: power.
True, hockey does not really command big money; it does not even move the masses, like the willow-game. But then, only a fool would underestimate the power of sentiment; it has its own allure and its own high. No wonder that the IOA, after tasting blood, seems to be dragging its feet when the time to return the game to its rightful owners has come.
Ironically though, it is learnt that the IOA was stirred into action by none other than the sports ministry itself. But, like most of the government’s grand plans, this one seems to have backfired too: the custodian is refusing to give up its vice-like grip over HI (Hockey India); the fence itself is gobbling up the garden.
The sports ministry had to reveal its hand on Friday when the players at the national camp revolted en masse. It is only now that it might be understanding how it became a pawn in somebody else’s game; instead of turning the sport around, it has only helped in pushing it into a bigger cesspool.
As a fire-fighting device, it has come out with a detailed guideline for the elections that must be held before the World Cup this year. But it might already be too late: the dice have been rolled and the powers know exactly what is going to turn up.
As the world prepared for the mega events, they burnt twilight oil to get their men at the right places, to subvert the system. Now, even if the ministry manages to hold the elections in a fair and transparent manner, there can be only one victor; it doesn’t matter which group emerges strongest or who becomes president or secretary, there shall be only one master. You don’t need to be an Einstein to figure that one out. The invisible monster has already taken charge.
The Times of India
Former stars critical of players’ action
A STAFF REPORTER
Calcutta: India’s domination in world hockey is a thing of the past. But what is more embarrassing is the fact that the game in country has only plummeted to new depths.
The payment dispute between the players and Hockey India, the game’s administrators in the country, may have been resolved after a marathon meeting on Saturday, but the players’ boycott of the World Cup preparatory camp in Pune has certainly left the Olympians from the city disappointed.
Following are excerpts (alphabetically)
Bir Bahadur Chetri: This type of things shouldn’t happen with a national team… After all, it’s not a club side. The players are right in their demands, but boycotting the camp is no solution. It just portrays a sorry picture of the game in the country.
Vece Paes: The officials are too busy in their agendas to take care of the game. Such a thing shakes up the whole hierarchy and is certainly a not good advertisement for the sport. As it is, were not going through a rosy patch, now we have moved further backwards. Hockey India should get their priorities right and sort out their problems. The players, on their part, could have dealt the issue behind closed doors.
Gurbux Singh: It was disappointing that such an incident happened just before the World Cup. It’s sad but Indian hockey is going through its worst phase. The way things are being handled, it’s becoming detrimental for the players as well as the officials. I can’t remember a similar crisis ever arising in Indian hockey. Players do require their payments and the officials should have taken care of that. But the players should also have realised that country comes first. Too many controversies, and that too just ahead of the World Cup, are just spoiling the game.
Telegraph, India
Who cares these women, silent sufferers anyway?
s2h Team
While the whole nation stands by the agitating Indian men’s team, heart also bleeds for women hockey.
2009 marked a fantastic spell for Indian women.
They utilized the chances that come their way, very well in 2009.
First they won the Champions Challenge Cup II without losing a match.
The peach of their course in the year gone by of course was at Bangkok.
Indian girls reached the finals, defeating awesome Korean girls, ranked 10 steps above in the FIH ranking, in the semis. This fantastic win helped them to earn the right to be in this year’s World Cup to be held in Rosario, Argentina.
While the Indian men get to play their world cup by virtue of the hosts, girls sweat whatever level they could, to get the honour of playing the World Cup in a telling fashion. As more countries play women hockey than the men’s, this is not a small achievement.
Their match in the semis at Bangkok which gave the elusive World Cup berth was worth the gold each second.
The likes of goals that Rani Ramphal and Jasjeet Kaur scored in the semis, take if for sure, would have put even the boldest of the men’s team.
What did these girls get in return?
Nothing, except their employers’ daily allowance, but what about their new found guardian, Hockey India. They did not even get a reception that normally men’s team get – going to IOA office, shaking hands with Sports Minister, a bit of publicity here and there, such stuff.
After Hockey India, those in the know of women’s team concede, the situation for women has transcended from bad to worse while the situation for men remained bad as ever.
These girls did not create a hue and cry, even now undergoing a camp in Bhopal. They are used to be Indian sports' silent sufferers, not withstanding Chak De India!'s run away success.
They will never walk out of the camp, and till such time they are forced to, perhaps, no one will notice them.
The request therefore is whatever you pay now or anytime to men's team, do the same for the women as well.
Stick2Hockey.com
Women’s team could benefit from men’s rebellion
Saurabh Duggal
The rebellion of the men’s national team against Hockey India could pave the way for the women’s team to also get cash incentives.
Speaking to Hindustan Times on Saturday, former secretary of the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation (IWHF) and member of HI’s affiliation sub-committee, Amrit Bose, said, “Whatever cash incentives or salaries are finalised for the men’s team, I am sure, the same would be extended to the women players.
“The women’s team is performing well and they should concentrate on their training. As far as incentives are concerned, they (women’s team) will not be ignored,” Bose added.
Even as the men’s team refused to practice at the ongoing camp in Pune on Friday, demanding payment of allowances and incentives, their women counterparts expressed solidarity with them, saying the men’s team had done the right thing and they fully supported them.
“The incentives should be extended to women players too,” said striker Mamta Kharab. “Incentives motivate players. We play for the country’s pride and will continue to do so. There will be no lack of commitment from our side,” she added.
“Hockey India officials should have also called the women players for Saturday’s discussions on incentives.
The women players have never got their due, but I hope this time around HI treats them at par,” said Dronacharya Awardee, Baldev Singh.
Hindustan Times
ONGC, IOC in last four
MUMBAI: ONGC beat IOC 2-0 in the concluding league match in the ninth all-India Guru Tegh Bahadur Gold Cup hockey tournament here on Saturday. Kamaldeep Singh and Harman scored once in each half.
Both ONGC and IOC made the semifinals as the top two teams in their group.
Other results: Western Rly. 3 (Jay Karan 2, Amarjeet Singh) bt Namdhari XI 2 (Gurmeet Singh, Gurbhej Singh).
The Hindu