Photo Courtesy : The Deccan Herald

dog never bites the hand that feeds it. However, the petty officials that run the IHF have conspired to kill the very game that they administer. Ego has come in the way of national team building.

Two Indian teams have been announced for the African Tour of Zimbwabe, Kenya and South Africa. The 'Super Six' of Indian hockey - Dhanraj Pillai, Mukesh Kumar, Sabu Varkey, Ashish Ballal, A. B. Subbaiah and Sandeep Somesh - do not find a place in either team.

Even hockey guru Paul Lissek was surprised at the sidelining of the 'Asiad Six'. "What is wrong with you guys?'' he is reported to have asked. "Why are they being ignored by you people? Pillay is a wonderful player and can find a place on the national side of any country in the world.''

The IHF has recalled former Olympian and Indian captain Vasudevan Bhaskaran as coach of the senior team. Only a few days earlier he was appointed the Indian junior team's coach. Bhaskaran now suddenly finds himself elevated to the hot seat, with C. R. Kumar being appointed the junior team coach.

The official reason for the sacking of the previous coach Col. Harcharan Singh is that the Services Sports Control Board told the IHF president K. P. S. Gill that he would not be available in the wake of the Kargil conflict. The unofficial reason for Harcharan's sacking was his disgraceful act of entering the field during a game in progress and abusing a Dutch umpire during the recent Test series in Belgium. Harcharan got a red card and was ordered off the field.

Since 1996, we have had Cedric D'Souza, Pargat Singh, V. Bhaskaran, Maharaj Kaushik, Col. Harcharan Singh and now again V. Bhaskaran as our national coaches. Imagine having 6 coaches in the last 3 years. In between, the IHF sent feelers to Jude Felix to coach the team, but Jude wisely rebuffed these overtures.

Half-back Mohammed Riaz of Indian Airlines will lead the India 'A' squad while forward Rajesh Chauhan of Air India will lead the India 'B' team for the African tour. The two teams are as follows:

India 'A': Goalkeepers: Edward Aloysuis (PSB), Jude Menezes (Mum). Defenders and Half-Backs: Anurag Raghuvanshi (UP), Dinesh Nayak (TN), Lazarus Barla, Mohd. Riaz (both IA), Baljit Singh Saini (PSB), Thirumalvalavan (TN), Ramandeep Singh (Pun). Forwards: Kamal Horo (Serv), Deepak Thakur (AI), Baljit Singh Dhillon (Pun), L. Prabakaran (TN), Gagan Ajit Singh, Brojen Singh, Samir Dad (all IA). Coaches: Vasudevan Baskaran and Ramesh Parameswaran. Doctors: Shivcharan Singh and Saadat Kupiar.

India 'B': Goalkeepers: Murali Krishna (Hyd), Ambuj Srivastava (Rlys). Defenders and Half-Backs: Ajay Kumar, Cheops D'Costa (both Mum), Rajinder Singh (Customs), Baljit Singh Chandi (PSB), Anwar Khan (ONGC), Sukhbir Singh Gill (Mum). Forwards: Vikram Pillai (Mum), Harbhajan Singh (BSF), Senthil (TN), Cyprian Aind (Ser), Rajesh Chauhan (AI), Ajinderpal Singh (Rlys), Ravinder Singh (IA), Y. S. Rawat (IA). Coaches: Balwinder Singh (Rlys) and Surjit Kumar (IA).

ockey in the subcontinent is dying a slow death. As if the autocratic ways of the IHF are not bad enough, the PHF seems to be having its own game of musical chairs involving coaches and managers.

In the wake of Pakistan hockey's debacle in the Champions Trophy (where they finished last and have been eliminated from next year's tournament), manager Khawaja Zakauddin has been fired as the manager of the Pakistan team. Media reports have indicated that Zakauddin did have a showdown with coach Shahnaz Sheikh in Brisbane during the Champions Trophy. This was on the eve of the league match with England, which Pakistan lost 0-2.

The PHF council has appointed former coach Shahnaz Sheikh as the new manager of the Pakstan team. Former Olympian (1976) and World Cupper (1982), Manzoor-ul-Hasan Sr. has been appointed coach of the Pakistan hockey team. He was the manager of the Pakistan junior team during 1998, and also served as its coach for two years during 1995-96.

Qamar Zia, who had represented Pakistan in the 1976 Olympics and 1978 World Cup, has been appointed as Assistant Coach on a temporary basis. Qamar still remains Pakistan's junior team coach, which is his main responsbility. Qamar works for Pakistan Customs.

Manzoor said, "A lot of work has to be done to rebuild the morale and confidence of the Pakistan hockey team. Defeat in Champions Trophy does not indicate a dark future in Pakistan's hockey, rather it serves as a lesson for us to do better in the future."

Former Pakistan captain Tahir Zaman has termed the shakeup in the PHF bureaucracy as 'useless'. "What you must change is the way we plan and manage our hockey. We will have to bring some really big changes if we want to save this game from a complete disaster in Pakistan."

The former star forward wants the introduction of league competitions in Pakistan similar to the system prevailing in Europe and also strongly supports the idea that the players should get more incentives. "Most of our problems will be solved if we stop the obsolete methods of holding training camps and rather launch a systemic league in the country," he stresses. "And then we should also provide more incentive to the players so they work harder."

Wise words, which are equally relevant for Indian hockey too.

ormer Indian captain Jude Felix has hit out at the shoddy ways of the IHF, calling them thoroughly unprofessional. ''That is what they are. Unprofessional in every respect - kitting, planning, marketing, charting out tours. We are still groping with basic issues while others have made steady progress in their programme before the Olympics."

Jude Felix has received offers to coach the national team of a European country. Jude, who is in charge of the Racing Club de France team in Paris, is likely to accept the deal once he completes his present contract.

Jude, who was in Bangalore on vacation, refused to name the country but said it would be the next logical step for a player-coach who has managed one of the most popular clubs in Europe. He said, "We have not got down to the brasstacks yet. But the offer has come. They are very positive and I would like to move once I complete my two-year contract with the Racing Club."

Commenting on the Indian hockey scene, Jude lamented, "The IHF has failed to consolidate on the gains of the Asian Games triumph. Ever since I landed in Bangalore, I have heard former players and coaches only talk of the irresolute ways of the IHF."

Jude was one of the coaches shortlisted by the IHF to take over the Indian team soon after the World Cup debacle at Utrecht in 1998. ''In fact, IHF Secretary-General K. Jyothikumaran promised to monetarily compensate me for all that I was likely to lose by accepting the offer. I emphasised that I wanted a contract from the IHF, as well as the return of at least four of the six players who were dropped after the Asian Games -- Dhanraj, Ballal, Mukesh and Sabu. The IHF stopped all communication with me thereafter. No reason was assigned."

Jude said he still nurtured hopes of helping Indian hockey. ''I am willing to get involved at any level. There is no ego here at all. All I insist is a contract which ensures there is professionalism throughout. I hope the IHF realises that."

Article Courtesy The Deccan Herald

hahbaz Ahmed, inarguably one of the finest players ever produced by Pakistan, has set himself on another mission: Bring about drastic changes in the Pakistan hockey structure.

The former Pakistan captain is making efforts to have a detailed meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as part of his bid to save Pakistan hockey from 'a complete disaster'. "I feel I owe something to the game. Everything I've got today is because of hockey and now I feel it's pay back time," commented Shahbaz.

"I know the Prime Minister is very busy these days. But I feel he should try to take out some time for hockey. It's now or never," says Shahbaz, who led Pakistan to the 1994 World Cup triumph in Sydney, the country's last major hockey title. Shahbaz wants to meet Sharif because the Prime Minister is the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

The star forward is confident that he can convince the PM to take the same action against the PHF which President Rafiq Tarar took against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after national cricket team's defeat against Australia in the World Cup final last month.

"If the cricket board can be dissolved even though their team reached the World Cup final, than why can't the PM take such action against the PHF officials under whom our hockey has touched rock bottom," he pointed out. Pakistan has to qualify, for the first time ever, for the Olympic Games hockey competition, and are also out of next year's Champions Trophy after they finished last in the 1999 edition last month.

Shahbaz says he has prepared a comprehensive proposal for Nawaz Sharif which he says if implemented can prove highly beneficial for the game in the country. "A lot of things are going wrong for the game. The PHF officials do anything they like. If nothing is done right now, it will be too late for anybody to avoid the game from a complete disaster."

By Khalid Hussein of The News International

HF President K. P. S. Gill has downgraded the 'Super Six' to just 'Super Two'. He was of course referring to the spearheads of the Indian attack - Dhanraj Pillai and Mukesh Kumar. Both the players, having been ignored by the IHF, are looking to international leagues to keep themselves among the best in the world.

Dhanraj has invitations from both FC Lyon in France and Stuttgart Kickers in Germany. The league matches start in August and September respectively. Dhanraj will play for Stuttgart Kickers given the quality of the competition and players. Meanwhile, Mukesh has got feelers from the Malaysian Hockey Association.

Jyothikumaran, secretary of the IHF, said, "We have no objection in allowing these two players to play in foreign leagues. Let them come to us once they finalise their plans." How noble! In any other sport, the federation would actually encourage the playing in foreign leagues when none exist in their own country. Here the players just get dropped after winning the gold medal.

Without Dhanraj, Mukesh and Ballal, India does not stand a chance to enter the semi-finals in Sydney. Gill knows that. Jyothikumaran knows that too, though he usually follows Gill's bidding faithfully. It will be nothing but personal ego that may keeping three of the world's best players from winning glory for India in Sydney. The nation and the sport will have to suffer for the acts of these two officials.

HF President K. P. S. Gill criticised cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar for his suggestion that government should take over both the billiards and hockey federation.

"What does Gavaskar know about hockey," Gill reacted angrily when his reaction was sought, but hastened to add that he has not read the news column where the little master reportedly made the suggestion.

"After hearing it, my opinion about him (Gavaskar) has plummeted," he said. "Nowadays, Gavaskar is becoming a rebel."

The same question can also be asked of the IHF President and the Secretary - what do they know of hockey? Have they played hockey at a state, national or international level at all? What right have they to decide on the selection of the Indian team.

The IHF has to learn to tolerate criticism, whether it is from hockey players, coaches, press or even fans - one of whom happens to be the best cricketer of his generation.

Robert Lawrence, Executive Director, IHF

he industrial powerhouse Tata had sponsored last month's 30th Junior National Hockey Championship. The sponsorship amount of Rs. 30 lakhs went into the organisational expenses for the 32-team championship. The Tatas gave all the participants track suits, caps, T-Shirts, tote bags and pouches. Teams reaching the semi-finals were given watches.

R. K. Krishna Kumar, Managing Director, Taj Group of Hotels and vice-chairman, Tata Tea has come out in a big way to support Indian hockey. Taj and Tata Tea gave Rs 15 lakhs for the India-Pakistan series (Pepsi and the Tata Group were the co-sponsors of the series).

An equal amount of Rs. 15 lakhs went for the Asiad-bound team too, which went on to win the gold medal. Their stay in Chennai prior to the games, and their stay in Delhi after their triumphant return, were both in the Taj Group of hotels.

The Tatas have stressed that juniors would be their prime target. They have an ambitious plan for junior development in India, and have sounded ex Olympians like M. P. Ganesh and Jude Felix for collaborating in the project. The Tata Group has employed Manoj Lokhande and Bimal Lakra, both junior internationals, and both coming from poor financial backgrounds.

This ray of hope for Indian hockey has been made possible through the good offices of Robert Lawrence, the genial, 42-year-old Executive Director, Coordination and Development of the Indian Hockey Federation. Robert, who idolises J. R. D. Tata, is employed by Tatas International as Manager, Corporate and Public Relations. Robert played right-wing for the Tatas in 1974.

With Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata Group himself showing an interest in hockey development and promotion, poverty stricken Indian hockey seems headed for better days.

his is a lesson in gratitude, humility and sportsmanship for the officials of the Indian Hockey Federation. This is also a lesson in how to treat our Asiad gold medal heroes. We take the case study of how the US Soccer Federation (USSF) promoted and celebrated the achievements of the World Cup winning women's soccer team.

In the decade of the 90s, the US women have won 2 World Cups (1991 - Beijing, 1999 - USA) and 1 Olympic Games (1996 - Atlanta). The 1999 World Cup, the largest women's sporting event in the world, was a major organizational success - 90,185 fans for the finals at the Rose Bowl, 650,00 fans overall for the 17 games, 19 sponsors (including Nike, Gatorade and Adidas) at a hefty $6 million each, and the highest US television rating ever (40 million viewers) for any soccer match (men or women) for the World Cup final.

A brilliant marketing and advertisement campaign by the USSF resulted in the following attendance figures for the 6 World Cup matches involving the US - 78,972 for their opener, 65,080 at Chicago's Soldier Field, 50,484 at Boston's Foxboro Stadium, 54,642 at Washington's Jack Kent Cooke stadium, 73,123 at Stanford Stadium and 90,185 at the Rose Bowl for the final, in addition to all 32 games of the World Cup being shown live on either ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC.

A brilliant promotional campaign by the USSF followed the final. A parade of honour at Disneyland, meeting the President and the First Family at the White House (they flew from Washington for the final too), interviews on CNN, ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today Show, and a parade in Manhattan, New York. The Girls of Summer became America's Team and were the toast of the nation.

A host of endorsements followed : star player Mia Hamm was signed by Nike, Gatorade, Fleet Bank, Earthgrains and Powerbar. Teammater Kristine Lilly was signed by Coca Cola, Hyundai and Adidas, with the latter also snapping up Cindy Parlow.

Cashing in on their victory, the soccer team members planned a victory tour this fall, playing games at major stadiums throughout the US. This would be the US vs. the World XI, at 12 arenas in the US, between October 22 and December 12.

This clashed with the USSF's plans for the team to tour South Africa, Egypt and Australia in November. The co-captains of the team, Carla Overbeck and Julie Foudy, as well as star player Mia Hamm, had 10 days of negotiations with the USSF. The players wanted to increase their visibility, capitalize financially on their World Cup victory, and set the stage for the acceptance of a world-class women's pro league in the US. The USSF eventually agreed to the players' demands.

Do you know why the USSF backed down? A private agency, SFX Sports Group, which organized the victory tour, had guaranteed the US players $50,000 apiece. That's much much more than what the cash-strapped USSF could pay (current match fee is $250 per player, and an annual contract salary of $20,000 per player). The USSF acknowledged that they could not match the privately-sponsored victory tour, and very gracefully opted out.

The USSF also launched a feasibility study of a National Soccer League for women. They concluded that a small league of 8 teams could be launched after the Sydney Olympic Games. The league would also allow for international soccer stars from Brazil, China, Canada and Europe. The USSF is currently looking at issues such as optimum size of stadiums, average crowds expected, partnership with the men's league, sources of sponsorship and television coverage.

And finally, 13 of the players that won the US their Olympic Gold medal in Atlanta (1996), were on the World Cup winning team in 1999. 6 of those 13 seniors were also on the 1991 World Cup winning team. The USSF did not believe in vindictive chopping and changing of players to suit its selfish ends.

Contrast this with what happened in India, where the 'Super Six' (and the winning coach) who asked for the money that was their due were fired within days of winning the Asian Games gold. What a glorious marketing opportunity was lost for reviving the game of hockey in India. A former coach who asked for a contract was sidelined. The IHF refuses to plan for a National Hockey League (like in Australia, Holland and England), and in addition, feels threatened when Indian hockey stars express a desire to play in foreign leaguess.

Shame to the hockey officials who run the IHF. Zero vision. Zero feelings for the nation and its glorious past in hockey. They have let their narrow-minded prejudices and outlook go against what is good for the nation.

Photo Courtesy The Hindu

he 6th Nutrine Federation Cup for women was held at Sri Venkateswara Arts College, Tirupati, from July 19 - 26. The top eight of the last National Championship held at Chennai were supposed to take part. However Chandigarh just failed to show up. Andhra Pradesh, by virtue of being the host, became the eighth team to take part.

The Federation Cup, last held in 1996 at Ranchi, was revived after a gap of 2 years when Nutrine Sweets (Chittoor) came forward to bear the entire expenses estimated at Rs 7.5 lakh. Executive director of Nutrine, K. Siva Mohan Reddy, said that the company was associating itself with the women's hockey as part of its continued efforts to promote sporting talent in the country.

Before the opening ceremony, the audience paid homage to the war heroes of Kargil by observing a minute's silence. Doordarshan provided live telecast of the tournament final, as part of its tie-up with the IHF to telecast the senior nationals, Federation Cup and international fixtures.  

The following were the pools: A: Railways, Punjab, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh; B: Haryana, Mumbai, Orissa and Uttar Pradesh. The results of the pool matches were as follows:

Pool A	Railways (9 pts)	Bihar (6 pts)
	beat Bihar 4-0 beat Punjab 4-0 beat Andhra 7-0	beat Punjab 1-0 lost to Railways 0-4 beat Andhra 6-0
Pool B	Haryana (7 pts)	Mumbai (7 pts)
	drew with Mumbai 2-2 beat Uttar Pradesh 3-1 beat Orissa 2-1	beat Uttar Pradesh 1-0 drew with Haryana 2-2 beat Orissa 3-1

In the semi-finals, Haryana recorded only a narrow 2-1 win against Bihar, while Railways beat Mumbai 3-0. For Haryana, Surinder Kaur and Simranjit Kaur scored, while Bihar captian Pushpa Pradhan sounded the lone goal for her team. Internationals Suraj Lata, Manjinder Kaur and Jyoti Kullu scored for Railways in their win over Mumbai.

In the final, played before a packed ground, Haryana made history by beating Railways 3-1 via the tie-breaker. Regulation and extra-time had resulted in a 0-0 tie. Goalkeeper Suman Deswal, who had foiled quite a few chances in the regulation time, came up with three brilliant saves in the tie-break to give Haryana a sensational win. With this victory, Haryana avenged their defeat in the senior nationals' final last year where they lost 0-5 to the Railways.

The Railways team was coached by Ashok Dewan, while the winners Haryana were coached by Baldev Singh.

This is indeed a historic win for Haryana since Railways are not only the National Champions for the last 15 years but also won four of the five previous titles in the Federation Cup. Railways had 15 members of the Indian team that won the gold at the Asiad.

he 6th Nutrine Federation Cup for women brought up the subject of having a synthetic pitch installed at the Sri Venkateswara Arts College, Tirupati. This has been in the air for quite sometime, at least every time the temple town of Tirupati plays host to a national level competition.

The present administrative setup in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) is said to be to viewing the proposal without prejudice. Officers at the helm in the TTD have always inclined to consider such a proposal if they could substantiate the claim about the popularity of hockey in and around Chittoor district.

In fact, the cost factor has also been discussed informally. Mr. M. P. Ganesh, Deputy Director, Sports Authority of India, Bangalore, who was here on a brief visit, impressed on Mr. Balasubramaniam, FA and CAO, the need for such a facility in this area when the latter was the chief guest for a match. Mr. Ganesh has promised that SAI would start a hockey academy and take care of the turf's maintenance.

Meanwhile, the Andhra Pradesh Women's Hockey Association also has a proposal to start a hockey academy. According to its secretary, Mr. Prasanna Kumar Reddy, the blue-print of the hockey academy is ready.

It goes without saying that if the state of Andhra Pradesh has to have a second artificial pitch, it should be in Tirupati - considering the hockey activities round the year and the support extended to them by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam.

By S. Tyagarajan of The Hindu 

P. P. Anthony, Coach of the Indian u-21 Team

10-year break from coaching has not in any way eroded the skills or ingenuity of P. P. Anthony, coach of the Indian junior women's team which triumphed in a 4-nation FIH tournament in New Jersey, USA last month.Pitted against England and USA who were given a much higher billing than India, Anthony helped the national side pull off an impressive tournament victory.

Anthony's stint as a coach began way back in 1987. He was in charge of a women's junior squad preparing for the junior World Cup. Prior to that he was assistant to the senior women`s team which was being trained by Satinder Singh Walia, who is presently the coach of the Bombay junior team.

Thereafter, Anthony shied away from national coaching assignments and shifted to Bangalore. At the Sports of Authority of India (SAI), South Centre at Kengeri, Anthony switched to academics. Anthony trained and prepared aspiring hockey coaches during the two-year diploma course offered at SAI.

As academics became his prime focus, his career as a coach seemed finished. But in May of this year, Anthony was asked by the IWHF to take charge of the junior squad preparing for the 2001 World Cup. That move worked wonders as India, seeded to finish third, went on to win the 4-Nation Tournament in USA. A narrow loss to England in the opener, a big win against USA and Chile and a golden goal against England in the final made up the triumph. M. P. Ganesh, former Indian captain and Executive Director of SAI, South Centre was all praise for Anthony and commended his handling of the team.

The Asia Cup for juniors, the qualifying tournament for the World Cup scheduled for December this year, which has been postponed to September next year, should be the focus right now, says Anthony. With the top Asian teams South Korea, China and Japan, competing, India would do well to prepare in earnest if they are to harbour hopes of a qualification, he added.

With the senior women`s team coming away with a silver medal at the Bangkok Asiad last year and Anthony`s squad creating ripples now, the future of Indian women`s hockey seems bright. But if the team is to become a force to reckon with internationally, more efforts like the present one are needed.

Courtesy Vijay Michael Raj of The Deccan Herald

home series against India in August will prepare the New Zealand women's hockey team for its Olympic qualifying series against Australia in early September. This was stated by the chief executive of the New Zealand Hockey Federation, Mr. Ramesh Patel.

India, silver medallists at the Bangkok Asian Games, will play 3 tests against New Zealand on August 26, 28 and 29. One will be in Levin, , and the other two in Wellington.

The matches will help build-up the New Zealand team for the Oceania Cup Olympic qualifiers against Australia on September 8, 11, and 12. New Zealand will have to win the series against Australia to get an automatic place at the Sydney Olympics, even though world and Olympic champins Australia has already qualified as host.

Photo Courtesy : The Hindu

he 77th MCC-Muruguppa Gold Cup hockey tournament was held in Chennai from July 2 to July 10, 1999. The tournament, held at the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium, was to be the basis for selection of the Indian team for the South African and Australian tours.

3 teams withdrew from the tournament - defending champions Indian Airlines, Punjab and Sindh Bank, and Punjab XI.

The results of the pool matches were as follow:

Pool A	IHF Seniors (9 pts)	Air India (4 pts)
	beat Hyderabad 8-0 beat Karnataka 4-0 beat Air India 4-3	drew with Karnataka 3-3 beat Hyderabad 5-1 lost to IHF Seniors 3-4
Pool B	Mumbai (7 pts)	Tamil Nadu (6 pts)
	beat Tamil Nadu 1-0 drew with Services 2-2 beat IHF Juniors 5-1	beat Services 1-0 lost to Mumbai 0-1 beat IHF Juniors 2-1

In a seesaw semi-final, Mumbai beat Air India 4-3 through a golden goal scored by Deepak Sharma. Air India trailed 1-3, before restoring parity at 3- 3 and forcing the match into extra-time, before finally capitulating to Mumbai. In an earlier semi-final, IHF Seniors beat Tamil Nadu by the odd goal in three.

In the final, IHF Seniors whipped Mumbai XI 5-0 to claim the Muruguppa Gold Cup. Mumbai came second for the second year in a row. The goal scorers for IHF were Brojen Singh (18m, 46m), Harbhajan Singh (31m), Baljeet Singh Chandi (33m) and Jagan Senthil (57m).

The final was telecast live on both Doordarshan and the Sports Channel. IHF Seniors got Rs 60,000 while Bombay -- runner-up for the second successive year -- took Rs 40,000.

Dhanraj Pillai was declared the Man of the Final, while Mumbai skipper Sabu Varkey was the unanimous choice for the Forward of the Tournament. Tamil Nadu's S. Radhakrishnan was nominated Best Midfielder, while Lazarus Barla was adjudged Best Defender of the event.

he Indian Hockey Federation announced a 20-member junior team for the European tour which includes a 3-Test series against Holland and an 8-nation tournament in Poland. The captain of the team is yet to be named, though the names of Bengal forward Iqbal Singh and Bimal Lakra are under consideration.

India is placed in Pool A along with Germany, Egypt and Belgium in the 8-nation tournament to be played from August 23 to 29. The team, which will leave on August 8, is as follows:

Goalkeepers: Alex David (Railways) and Davesh Chauhan (Air India).

Full Backs: Sukh Amrit Pal Singh (Services), Len Iyappa (Air India) and Bikramjit Singh (PSB).

Half Backs: Parmajit Singh (Services), Radhakrishnan (TN), Arjun Halappa (Kar), Bimal Lakra (Centre of Excellence), Shamsuz Zoha (UP) and Proboth Tirkey (Orissa).

Forwards: Gurusewak Singh (Pun), Iqbal Singh (Bengal), Viren Rasquinha (Mumbai), Ajitpal Singh (PSB), Asad Khan (Mumbai), Bipin Fernandez (Kar), Gopinath (TN), Inderjith Singh (Chd) and Prabjoth Singh (Air India).

Stand Byes: Ranjit Singh (UP), Gurjant Singh (Centre of Excellence), Cyprian Aind (Services) and Kanwal Preet Singh (PSB).

Officials: Chief Coach: C. R. Kumar, Asst Coach: Harendra Singh, Physical Trainer: Sajju Joseph, Manager: G Sathyanarayana.

his is a continuing series on the creation of sports leagues. We all know that the IHF top brass has limited vision for the game, and is more interested in hiring and firing coaches and players. We hope to educate the IHF ignoramus on how hockey is being played in the rest of the world. This month's series features the National Hockey League of Australia, namely the Fox Sports Cup (men) and the Telstra Series (women).

Schedule : 9 teams playing the Fox Sports Cup play on a home and away basis throughout Australia from July 2 to August 8, with the top four sides contesting the Finals Series August 13-15 in Perth.

The Telstra Series for women, with 7 teams, has a shorter season which got over on July 18.

Structure : The Fox Sports Cup featuers the following 9 teams - reigning champions Melbourne Redbacks, 1998 runners-up Canberra Vision City Lakers, Adelaide Ishan Hotshots, McDonald’s North Queensland Barras, NSW Strongbow Warriors, Healthway Perth Thundersticks, Tassie Tigers, Tatts Territory Stingers and Queensland Blades.

The Telstra Series has the following 7 teams - reigning champions NSW Arrows, Adelaide Bank Suns, Canberra Strikers, Tassie Van Demons, Western Australia Diamonds, Queensland Scorchers and Victoria Vipers.

Teams place more emphasis on local home-grown players, with the balance filled by recruitment outside their province or even outside Australia.

Coaches and Players : National Coach Terry Walsh and fellow selectors use the Fox Sports Cup to assess all players in contention for selection in the Australian national team. Defending champions Melbourne has ex-international Colin Batch as their coach.

Australian vice-captain and most experienced player Jay Stacy plays for the North Queensland Barras, striker Baeden Choppy plays for the Perth Thundersticks and rising star Craig Victory plays for the Adelaide Hotshots. Among international players in the Fox Sports Cup, Argentinian midfielder Max Caldas is with the Adelaide Hotshots, while Daniel Eichner, who represented USA at the Atlanta Olympics, players for the Canberra Lakers.

Results : Defending champions NSW Arrows, with star player Alyson Annan in their ranks, won the 1999 NHL for Women for a record 4th time, beating the Canberra Strikers 3-0 in the final. In the bronze medal match, Queensland Scorchers beat the Adelaide Suns. Canberra's Katrina Powell was voted the Qantas Player of the Series.

In the Fox Sports Cup, the Perth Thundersticks are leading the Fox Sports Cup points table, which puts them in good stead for the finals series, to be held at the Perth Hockey Stadium on August 13 and 15. Their opponents could be either the Queensland Blades or the defending champions Melbourne Redbacks.

he Bombay Hockey Association (BHA) has now been renamed as the Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA). A resolution to that effect was passed at the 63rd Annual General Meeting of the body, with only one member dissenting on technical grounds.

The other MHA in the state is the Maharashtra Hockey Association, the Pune-based state hockey body, also with a dubious reputation. Note that last month's 30th Tata Junior National Hockey Championships had to be shifted from Pune to Bangalore due to the incompetence of the MHA (Pune) officials.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks. The MHA (Mumbai) elections that were held has returned the same old bunch of old officials. The office-bearers are : Dilbagh Singh Bakshi (President), Phulel Singh Sujilana and Virinder Singh Anand (Vice-Presidents) and K. L. Passi (secretary) and Govind Chokhani (Treasurer).

The elections followed a week of hectic parleys and compromises which saw former Mayor Manmohan Singh Bedi pulling out of the race for the presidentship. The compromise package saw Bedi's nephew Gurbux Singh Saigal being nominated to the committee. Similarly, Bakshi's son-in-law Daljit Singh Gujral also finds a place in the group of nine.

Besides family members with no link to hockey, some former Olympians were elected to the Committee too. The breakaway Hockey Association of Mumbai has 3 representatives in Joaquim Carvalho, Iqbaljit Singh and Gurbux Singh Grewal. Commenting on his induction, Carvalho said, "We are drawing up a calendar, and we hope to bring the Gold Cup and international hockey back to the city of Mumbai.''

aharaj Krishan Kaushik, coach of the Indian team that won the Asian Games hockey gold medal after a gap of 32 years, has promised hockey lovers that he would leave a lasting legacy on Indian hockey in the form of a book.

Talking to reporters after Delhi Veterans XI beat Indian Railways Women's XI 2-0 in the Kartar Singh memorial match at the National Stadium, he said he would place before the people the story of the conquest of the Asian Games gold medal and the sad aftermath, which saw him and seven seniors players get the axe. He is planning to have the book release to coincide with the anniversary of the December 19 triumph.

"Tthe Indian Hockey Federation stated that I was not a good coach," Kaushik says, not concealing his anguish. "One of the first things that I did was to force the Federation to recall some of the senior players who had been sidelined. It was necessary for Ashish Ballal to be recalled for the Asian Games. His reflexes may have slowed down but he was our best bet. Thank God they agreed to get him back."

"Then, I worked hard to bring the players together. I unified them for a cause," he recalls, taking his mind back to the time when his team was the toast of the country.

Kaushik agreed that a lot of former players and coaches were doing disservice to the game by keeping mum about the goings-on. "It is necessary that the sports-loving people of this country to know the truth. No purpose is being served by keeping mum," he said.

To be sure, it will be an interesting book, not so much for any of its explosive contents but for its lasting utility value.

Article Courtesy The Hindustan Times

hockey coach from Portugal is this edition's Visitor of the Month. José Pedro Sarmento writes:

I am the Head Coach of Lamas, one of the best Field Hockey teams in Portugal. We have just built a new water-based artificial turf field, the only one in Portugal.

We have decided to transform our team into a very competitive one. In 3 years we want to be one of the best teams in Europe. So we are interested on hiring 1 or 2 Indian players (two midfielders or 1 defender and 1 midfielder). The players can be between 22 - 25 years old, and of top calibre. The 2 players could play and also give classes in schools or even work in a factory.

Lamas is a very important industrial village, and is the world center of cork. It has little unemployment, good schools and sports facilities. It is located a few km from Porto city and 250 km from Lisbon, our capital. Portugal is very special country and Lamas is a very special region where the people are very friendly.

So if you know someone who could help us finding these valuable players, we would be very glad. Looking forward to hear from you soon,

Pedro Sarmento
Head Coach of Lamas

 

Dhyan Chand Born : Aug 29, 1905 Died : Dec 31, 1979
A. B. Subbaiah Aug 8, 1970	Baljeet Singh Saini Aug 12, 1976	Ramandeep Singh Aug 18, 1968	Anil Aldrin Aug 22, 1971

his is a story of how bureaucracy affects sports at every level in India. The only artificial turf field in the state of Jammu and Kashmir was sanctioned 12 years ago. Soon after its sanction, global tenders were floated and Med-Expo, a Cyprus-based firm, bagged the contract at a cost of $62 per sq metre, for the 6,000 sq metre area. The total cost of the project was estimated at Rs 2.13 crore at the time of issuing tenders.

The pitch was supposed to be laid in Srinagar. However, the work remained buried in files till the mid-nineties. At this stage the case was reopened, but the venue was shifted to Jammu.

The Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) laid the foundation of the turf in 1995-96. During the same period, a separate tube well for watering the turf was also constructed. Med-Expo supplied 27 rolls of turf, but failed to install the rolls.

3 years later, in 1999, Med-Expo and Barber Sports Services, Canada, installed the turf. However, it has been declared incomplete by an inspection committee comprising experts from the IHF, SAI and the Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council.

It has been 12 long years since the floating of the global tender, and still there is no artificial turf in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. As and when it will be complete, it will be the 12th artificial turf pitch in all of India.

In contrast, there are more than 600 full-size artificial turf pitches in England (including 70 double-pitch facilities), with half of the pitches built in this decade itself.

In other words, in the amount of time it has taken to build one artificial turf in Jammu and Kashmir, 300 new turf pitches have been built in England. Shame on Indian bureaucracy.