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Pargat Singh

The big crowds at the National Stadium during the World Cup proved we are still fanatical about hockey.

India’s cricket fans must be glued to the Indian Premier League now, but hockey proved that it is not far behind in terms of popularity. The World Cup in Delhi was indeed an eye-opener both in terms of mass appeal and therefore, its ability to attract sponsors.

India’s eighth finish may have been disappointing but there is always a silverline. For me, the silverline was the show of nationalism from our fans that turned up in huge numbers even after India kept losing their matches. It proved one thing: there is a huge demand for quality hockey, there is a passion for the game and the sponsors are happy to fund a properly managed event.

I understand the international hockey federation is looking at India as a hotspot. It is obviously a commercial move but if India indeed get to host quality international competitions, it would help fans come back to the national game. This is all the more reason why we should clean up our house and present a proper face in front of the international community. It is a shame that we have missed four deadlines to hold democratic elections.

During the World Cup, I had an opportunity to interact with the FIH bosses. President Leandro Negre seems concerned but I am not sure about the motive of the federation. Haven’t they been soft on India already? FIH plans to blacklist India if we don’t have an elected body by May 31. Hopefully, we will not face such a humiliation.

One post-World Cup news report in an reputed English daily said one of the selectors admitted there were “unfit” players in the Indian squad. I had pointed this out after India lost their second group match against Australia. I think the selectors have done a great disservice to the country by including ailing players just because “they had great reputation.”

Herein lies coach Jose Brasa’s frailties. I think he is a poor administrator and his coaching system is debatable. Brasa’s plan to implement a Spanish system in India has failed. India’s defenders were neither doing man marking nor zonal marking. Effectively, India conceded 21 goals in the group stage alone. My question is whether the right man was doing the right job? Dhananjay Mahadik is definitely not full-back material and Sandeep Singh is extremely vulnerable with his parallel-footed defensive methods.

Brasa needs to get his act together. I suspect he is doing a balancing job at the moment. With Hockey India like a rudderless ship, the Spaniard must be caught in no-man’s land. He was selected by Kalmadi and his men, so he can’t afford to antagonise them. But Brasa’s handling of the captaincy issue was extremely immature. He had no business to announce a skipper (Prabhjot Singh) without consulting the management and more specifically, the selectors.

Let bygones be bygones. Let’s give hockey another chance. KPS Gill and party have already done a lot of damage. We have not had a senior nationals in last two years. In the last 14 years, we have had may be three or four nationals. Is this the way forward?

It is important to completely overhaul the system. It is easier said than done. We have fence-sitters as experts. We have “yes-men” in the administrative set-up. Professionalism and vision are keys for a rehab and hopefully, a properly elected body will be able to do justice. Experts and professionals must unite for a cause. Perform or perish should be the mantra.

In terms of goals, we should be targeting the 2016 Olympics in Rio and prepare accordingly. People’s affection for hockey can’t be compromised and I think we are capable of getting into the Olympics again. We must put a system in place, a method that will produce a stream of quality players. And that should start with the developmental team.

I will end by narrating a small story. Diana Edulji, the former Test bowler of the Indian and Railways women’s cricket team, called me up recently to say the Indian Railways could not offer jobs to hockey players because they could not find a single quality youngster who could justify a sports-quota position! Unbelievable, but true!

(Former Indian Olympic captain Pargat Singh covered the World Cup exclusively for www.espnstar.com)

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