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Ashok Mattoo, the president of the nominated Hockey Indiabody does not have the financial resources at his beck and call. Thenewly constructed Hockey India to which elections are supposed to beheld shortly, though there is no clarity as to when the D Day is,doesn't know where to raise the money from to pay the hockey players.There are promises that he has made including a Rs 1 crore prize ifthe players manage a podium finish in the impending World Cup. WhenHockey India was formed after much acrimony, Mattoo is reported tohave gone to Andhra Bank seeking a loan of Rs 1 crore. He managed tosecure this just as he got another Rs 25 lakh as loan from IOBreportedly. The sponsorship deal with Sahara Group was embroiled in alegal tussle and for this Mattoo flew to Lucknow to seek Subroto Roy'spersonal intervention. The existing contract with IHF for Rs 2. 5crore per annum was jacked up to Rs 3 crore each for three years aftermuch persuasion. This Rs 3 crore is the gross amount that accrues toHI after agency commission and tax deduction at source. With thesemeagre resources, India's national sport is trying to keep the flagflying. It is a pitiable condition and one is not surprised that theplayers are agitating. For it is not just the match fees, butsponsorship money, prize money and performance incentives that havenot been paid to the players. This includes the bronze medal winningperformance at Salta during the recent Champions Challenge. That hasbecome the biggest sticking point. The quality of food at the balewadicamp is another important issue. Coach Jose Brasa has given a detaileddiet chart, but the poor players are only getting skinny chickens fortheir meals.
The payment row has escalated in a manner that is truly shocking. Withdays to go for the World Cup in Delhi which returns to Indian shoresafter 29 years, India's players are striking. A helpless Mattoobelieves that the option of suspending the revolting players remainsopen if the payment row is not resolved. On Monday, a meeting tookplace between the striking players and HI's Ikram Khan to break theimpasse. HI is upset because the players have gone back on their wordwhich they gave Mattoo on Saturday.
On Sunday night, HI accused the players of blackmailing the federationand holding the nation to ransom but Khan hoped a compromise would bereached. Khan told media in Pune, "I think there will be a compromisesoon. They will listen to us and Iam 100 per cent sure that the matter will be sorted out. I am going tomeet the players right now."
"I interacted with them yesterday. They are not satisfied with theincentives and the grade system that we are planning and all this willbe worked out soon. The players are very clear about what they wantand that is fair enough. The only thing is the timing and how theyhave gone about it," Khan added.
Are the players acting on their own, is it a unilateral decision toboycott the training camp? This question needs to be answered. Forlong Indian players have been treated like dirt and many ex playerstoo who have been wanting to be part of the administrative processhave been junked by the present dispensation. Their anger againstIndian Olympic Association satraps who have taken over Indian hockeyis well known. The fact that Punjab deputy chief minister SukhbirSingh Badal is one of the key players in the Hockey India pollssuggests that there are moves being made at a subterranean level.Hockey India officials believe that Hockey Punjab has been architectedby getting fraudulent signatures of various groups and that is why itis refusing to give affiliation to the body.
The overt battle may be over the non-payment of dues and incentivesfor their 2009performances, but the covert moves are unmistakable. Suddenly formerIHF strongman KPS Gill has resurfaced and has something to say aboutthe players plight. There are enough pressure groups in Indian hockeywhich want to get rid of the IOA, read Suresh Kalmadi yoke. For a bodywhioch doesn't have the financial bandwidth to deal with the players'demands, the best thing is to conduct the elections in a fair andtransparent manner. Sahara the main sponsor itself is a player in thisrigmarole, what with Sahara deputy boss J B Roy wanting to head thedemocratically elected HI.
Imagine with hardly 45 days to go for the hockey World Cup, we arestill to conduct elections and we don't have a team to represent us inthe tournament. The errant players refuse to play ball with thenominated federation. Overt and covert moves are out to destabiliseIndian hockey in the year of reckoning. World Cup followed byCommonwealth Games and the Asian Games and what are we doingagitating, fighting and arguing? Mr Minister M S Gill, please put yourhand up and restore order before we make a mockery of this goldenopportunity to resuurect Indian hockey.
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