Print

Please post once and this message will disappear! Introduce yourself, say hello, jump into a discussion...

[LosingNow]

KPS Gill sacked, Hockey Federation suspended

CNN-IBN



Published on Mon, Apr 28, 2008 at 18:49, Updated at Mon, Apr 28, 2008 in Sports section




HOCKEY'S HALL OF SHAME: The decision to suspend IHF was taken at an emergency meeting called by the IOA.


New Delhi: KPS Gill's 15-year tenure as the hockey boss came to an unceremonious end with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday removing him by suspending the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and appointing an ad-hoc committee, headed by former Olympian Aslam Sher Khan.


The "unanimous" decision to suspend IHF was taken at an emergency meeting called by the IOA following the sting operation, which caught secretary K Jothikumaran purportedly accepting bribe to select a player in the national team.


The ad-hoc commiittee will have hockey greats such as Ashok Kumar, Dhanraj Pillay, Ajit Pal Singh and Zafar Iqbal as the other members.


"It is a painful decision that we made today. But it had to be taken since there were corruption allegations. We have taken the decision after discussions with former Olympians, captains and all those who have played for India," IOA President Suresh Kalmadi told a packed press conference in the Capital.


"Gill was there (meeting) throughout. It was a unanimous decision and no one spoke against it. We have great respect for KPS Gill and it is not personal. Jothikumaran did not come unfortunately, we wanted to hear him out. It was an opportunity for him to present his case," he added.

According to reports, Ric Charlesworth will be the advisor of the selection committee.

[Blwe_torch]

IOA suspends IHF
 
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
 
April 28, 2008 18:48 IST
Last Updated: April 28, 2008 19:06 IST

The Indian Olympic Association on Monday suspended the Indian Hockey Federation and said it will be replaced by an ad-hoc commission, comprising five former Olympians.

The decision, taken at an executive committee meeting in New Delhi, comes in the wake of the sting operation involving IHF secretary K Jothikumaran, who allegedly accepted a bribe to include a player in the senior team.

The IOA announced that the selection commision will be chaired by Aslam Sher Khan and include Olympians Zafar Iqbal, Ashok Kumar, Ajit Pal Singh and Dhanraj Pillay.

Australian legend Ric Charlesworth will be an advisor to the selection panel.

IOA president Suresh Kalmadi, announcing the decision, said it was unanimous.

"Not one person opposed the suggestion to dissolve the IHF," he said. "We have a great responsibility to run the IHF well."

Gill hits back at Gill

On Sunday, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) had suggested that the Indian Olympic Association should take over management of the game in the country following the bribery scandal.

"Now the IOA has to manage Indian hockey because I don't think we can work with a half-suspended secretary general and a president probably linked because he protects his secretary in this case," FIH chief Els van Breda Vriesman had said.

Vriesman also said India could lose the right to host the 2010 World Cup if it does not clean up its act and implement the FIH project 'Promoting Indian Hockey' launched last year. She added that the television sting operation was a regrettable first for the game.

"It is never heard of in the world of field hockey. I wish Indian hockey gets positive publicity and not this kind," Vriesman said.

"We are in touch with both the International Olympic Committee and the Indian Olympic Association how to proceed in such a situation."

The India men's team, eight-times Olympic champions, were eliminated from the 2008 Games competition, marking the first time they will miss the Olympics [Images] since sending their first team in 1928.

 
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/apr/28ioa.htm

[k-slice]

about time i would say. Now hopefully they can try and perform CPR on the corpse that used to be Indian hockey. Maybe if there is a god up there it might just come back to life.

[LosingNow]

about time i would say. Now hopefully they can try and perform CPR on the corpse that used to be Indian hockey. Maybe if there is a god up there it might just come back to life.

TRUE!!

[Libran]

And Kalmadi like the true blue politician that he is says " We have a lot of respect for KPS Gill and his management skills" ...Cheapo...no backbone...bending backwards to keep everyone happy

[k-slice]

Kalmadi,
My rep in the national parliament and a city wide shame for Pune. What an aplle polsher. I am sure Gill too is upset that Kalmadi has respect for him.

[Blwe_torch]

this is rather unfair on Gill. after all he wasn't taking any money...it was his deputy ( not his fault). This is like throwing the baby along with the water out of the tub. He should have been given a chance to set the records straight.....imo.

[Cover Point]

this is rather unfair on Gill. after all he wasn't taking any money...it was his deputy ( not his fault). This is like throwing the baby along with the water out of the tub. He should have been given a chance to set the records straight.....imo.

If KPS gill is clean (as a baby) then Ganguly is not afraid of fast bowling!!!

[Cernunnos]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

[Blwe_torch]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who was atleast trying to do his best, to make some sense amidst chaos.

[Cernunnos]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

[LosingNow]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

You are still ruing the switch from natural grass to astroturf. Wasn't that like 30 years ago. Time to let go.

[Cernunnos]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

You are still ruing the switch from natural grass to astroturf. Wasn't that like 30 years ago. Time to let go.

Every Indian hockey great even today rates that as the number one reason for hockey's death in India,
for obviously good reasons. But it's not just that. Look at the setup of the FIH, there is no scope for Indians
to play any major part in the decisionmaking. That is why there have only been white europeans as the President of the FIH, in a game in which we were head shoulders above any other country (bar Pakistan) for almost 80% of the 20th century. Only we could be so gutless to not be bothered by this fact.

If we had any sense or pride, we would have severed links with this cartel called FIH and started our own "Indian rules" hockey true to it's original spirit (like the US in many sports).  Instead we just blame ourselves and our luck as rule after rule is changed to favour european style hockey. The PHL was the one forward step taken by Indian hockey this decade and there was the possibility that European players would have been lured to it with India rising economically, but I suspect with the FIH now virtually in control of Indian hockey, the PHL will get sabotaged.

[dextrous]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

I'll agree with you that KPS Gill is not corrupt. Granted.

I will NOT agree with you that KPS Gill has been good for Indian hockey, your disdain for foreign coaches notwithstanding. KPS Gill, while not corrupt, has been incompetent at best. His decisions have been made on the basis of his personal whims, not good hockey sense. Ric Charlesworth will be the best coach Indian can have right now. Indian hockey coaches are CLUELESS about modern hockey. Asto-turf may have ruined the Indian domination, however, we need to adapt or we might as well stop playing hockey. Astro-turf is a rather useless surface that has become obsolete in every sport except for hockey...I'll even agree with that. However,  just because you didn't like GC, doesn't mean foreign coaches/training will destroy Indian hockey...whatever is left of it anyway.

[Cover Point]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

I'll agree with you that KPS Gill is not corrupt. Granted.

I will NOT agree with you that KPS Gill has been good for Indian hockey, your disdain for foreign coaches notwithstanding. KPS Gill, while not corrupt, has been incompetent at best. His decisions have been made on the basis of his personal whims, not good hockey sense. Ric Charlesworth will be the best coach Indian can have right now. Indian hockey coaches are CLUELESS about modern hockey. Asto-turf may have ruined the Indian domination, however, we need to adapt or we might as well stop playing hockey. Astro-turf is a rather useless surface that has become obsolete in every sport except for hockey...I'll even agree with that. However,  just because you didn't like GC, doesn't mean foreign coaches/training will destroy Indian hockey...whatever is left of it anyway.

we play our cricket on Astro-turf (concrete pitches with Astro turf on top. Wonderful surface IMO. The ball just zips through ... and the hits too go bang. Did I tell you about my huge six from Saturday

[LosingNow]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

You are still ruing the switch from natural grass to astroturf. Wasn't that like 30 years ago. Time to let go.

Every Indian hockey great even today rates that as the number one reason for hockey's death in India,
for obviously good reasons. But it's not just that. Look at the setup of the FIH, there is no scope for Indians
to play any major part in the decisionmaking. That is why there have only been white europeans as the President of the FIH, in a game in which we were head shoulders above any other country (bar Pakistan) for almost 80% of the 20th century. Only we could be so gutless to not be bothered by this fact.

If we had any sense or pride, we would have severed links with this cartel called FIH and started our own "Indian rules" hockey true to it's original spirit (like the US in many sports).  Instead we just blame ourselves and our luck as rule after rule is changed to favour european style hockey. The PHL was the one forward step taken by Indian hockey this decade and there was the possibility that European players would have been lured to it with India rising economically, but I suspect with the FIH now virtually in control of Indian hockey, the PHL will get sabotaged.

All this "letting the Europeans take over our game" issue aside..
..I think no one can defend the incompetent and whimsical way KPS has run the hockey federation. For that alone he needs to go .. frankly, this should have been done much earlier.

[Cernunnos]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

I'll agree with you that KPS Gill is not corrupt. Granted.

I will NOT agree with you that KPS Gill has been good for Indian hockey, your disdain for foreign coaches notwithstanding. KPS Gill, while not corrupt, has been incompetent at best. His decisions have been made on the basis of his personal whims, not good hockey sense. Ric Charlesworth will be the best coach Indian can have right now. Indian hockey coaches are CLUELESS about modern hockey. Asto-turf may have ruined the Indian domination, however, we need to adapt or we might as well stop playing hockey. Astro-turf is a rather useless surface that has become obsolete in every sport except for hockey...I'll even agree with that. However,  just because you didn't like GC, doesn't mean foreign coaches/training will destroy Indian hockey...whatever is left of it anyway.

We can bash KPS Gill all day. Today he is everybody's favourite whipping boy. Tomorrow it will be someone else. I remember the euphoria when the "Supercop" was handed the reins of IHF and everybody was practically sure that hockey will be back on track. We'll just be going round in circles. That's because the problems are more fundamental which we continue to overlook - i.e. we do not have any say in defining what "modern hockey" is. Till that changes, you can bring in all the foreign coaches and expensive astroturfs, but it will al be a waste.

Tomorrow if the ICC mandates that all international cricket will be played on synthetic greentops alone, costing many crore rupees,  imagine what it would mean to the players learning their craft on the naturally occuring spinning tracks of India? Would we ever accept it? The FIH has done something similar by making all international hockey compulsorily on synthetic turf. That's morally corrupt on two counts - firstly because poorer countries can never develop into top-tier teams and are eternally damned to second tier. Secondly FIH is sponsored by the company Astroturf!

So I ask why do we have to comply with this "modern game"?

As I said, the only way forward for India is to sever ties with the FIH and play hockey suited to local conditions, and make *that* the modern game.  The PHL, the brainchild of Gill, was one such bold move. Although matches were  still played on astroturf, the rule changes were innovative and suited to Indian style of play. If it had done well enough and attracted foreign players on a regular basis, it had the potential to be a threat to the hegemony of the FIH.

And oh, let's keep GC out of it. Although Ric Charlesworth might just have ended up playing test cricket thanks to GC, I don't see any other connection here.

[dextrous]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

I'll agree with you that KPS Gill is not corrupt. Granted.

I will NOT agree with you that KPS Gill has been good for Indian hockey, your disdain for foreign coaches notwithstanding. KPS Gill, while not corrupt, has been incompetent at best. His decisions have been made on the basis of his personal whims, not good hockey sense. Ric Charlesworth will be the best coach Indian can have right now. Indian hockey coaches are CLUELESS about modern hockey. Asto-turf may have ruined the Indian domination, however, we need to adapt or we might as well stop playing hockey. Astro-turf is a rather useless surface that has become obsolete in every sport except for hockey...I'll even agree with that. However,  just because you didn't like GC, doesn't mean foreign coaches/training will destroy Indian hockey...whatever is left of it anyway.

we play our cricket on Astro-turf (concrete pitches with Astro turf on top. Wonderful surface IMO. The ball just zips through ... and the hits too go bang. Did I tell you about my huge six from Saturday

I very seriously doubt you've ever played cricket on astro turf bc of two reasons:
--Astro-turfs cost a fortune and only hockey uses it still for most part.
--Most astro-turf companies are out of business

Most likely you're talking about the new artificial field-turf, which is something in between grass and astro-turf, and is used commonly in indoor fieldhouses across american colleges.

from a hockey site...

from a hockey site...

---------------
1.  Artificial turf leads to more injuries to players than natural grass.  Many US college and high school football stadiums now have natural grass after the artificial turf was removed due to excessive injuries.

2.  Field hockey is not played in indoor stadiums where growing natural grass is a problem.  Artificial turf was introduced to football stadiums in USA because some NFL teams built indoor stadiums (e.g., Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, Minneapolis, etc) and grass was difficult to grow and maintain.

3.  Most children learn to play field hockey on grass and then have to change the style of play once they start playing on fields with artificial turf.

4.  It is detrimental to the propogation of field hockey in poorer countries who cannot afford to build many fields with artificial turf.  FIH must make hockey more popular in the world, and make it easier for the "newer" countries to advance up the ranks.  Lack of artificial turf fields will hold these countries back from reaching the Olympics/World Cup, and the enthusiasm of those countries goes away.

5.  Soccer is still played on natural grass in international events.

6.  Grass favors stick work and old style of play, which is more beautiful to watch than the new style of hockey.

[Cernunnos]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

I'll agree with you that KPS Gill is not corrupt. Granted.

I will NOT agree with you that KPS Gill has been good for Indian hockey, your disdain for foreign coaches notwithstanding. KPS Gill, while not corrupt, has been incompetent at best. His decisions have been made on the basis of his personal whims, not good hockey sense. Ric Charlesworth will be the best coach Indian can have right now. Indian hockey coaches are CLUELESS about modern hockey. Asto-turf may have ruined the Indian domination, however, we need to adapt or we might as well stop playing hockey. Astro-turf is a rather useless surface that has become obsolete in every sport except for hockey...I'll even agree with that. However,  just because you didn't like GC, doesn't mean foreign coaches/training will destroy Indian hockey...whatever is left of it anyway.

we play our cricket on Astro-turf (concrete pitches with Astro turf on top. Wonderful surface IMO. The ball just zips through ... and the hits too go bang. Did I tell you about my huge six from Saturday

I very seriously doubt you've ever played cricket on astro turf bc of two reasons:
--Astro-turfs cost a fortune and only hockey uses it still for most part.
--Most astro-turf companies are out of business

Most likely you're talking about the new artificial field-turf, which is something in between grass and astro-turf, and is used commonly in indoor fieldhouses across american colleges.

from a hockey site...

from a hockey site...

---------------
1.  Artificial turf leads to more injuries to players than natural grass.  Many US college and high school football stadiums now have natural grass after the artificial turf was removed due to excessive injuries.

2.  Field hockey is not played in indoor stadiums where growing natural grass is a problem.  Artificial turf was introduced to football stadiums in USA because some NFL teams built indoor stadiums (e.g., Houston, New Orleans, Detroit, Minneapolis, etc) and grass was difficult to grow and maintain.

3.  Most children learn to play field hockey on grass and then have to change the style of play once they start playing on fields with artificial turf.

4.  It is detrimental to the propogation of field hockey in poorer countries who cannot afford to build many fields with artificial turf.  FIH must make hockey more popular in the world, and make it easier for the "newer" countries to advance up the ranks.  Lack of artificial turf fields will hold these countries back from reaching the Olympics/World Cup, and the enthusiasm of those countries goes away.

5.  Soccer is still played on natural grass in international events.

6.  Grass favors stick work and old style of play, which is more beautiful to watch than the new style of hockey.

Moreover astroturf reqiures a ton of money to maintain. The entire state of West Bengal
has only one astroturf and it has become virtually useless due to damage. Crores down the drain!
Today Bengal hockey is all but dead, the state where Dhyan Chand said he enjoyed to play the
most because of it's best run leagues.

The FIH is least interested in making hockey a popular sport (it is virtually played to empty stands
everywhere) and more interested in maintaining European dominance. Countries like Netherlands
have 400+ astroturfs! Ironically the purported reason the FIH has given to make it compulsory to
play on sythetic turf is that it will attract more spectators!

And yes you are absolutely right that grass play is better to watch.

Besides soccer, golf is also played on natural grass. The ideal mix would be to have various turfs
(like in tennis) and this would really test the players.

[LosingNow]

Indian hockey will be free: Aslam
 

Kolkata, April 28: Hope surges again in the Indian hockey fraternity after a five-member committee, comprising former greats has been formed to usher in changes. Aslam Sher Khan, who heads the newly-formed five-member panel, is upbeat that together they can live up to expectations.

"First of all, I am thankful to the Indian Olympic Association and particularly to Gill (Union sports minister M.S. Gill) for giving us this responsibility. Indian hockey was down in the dumps and for the first time in the history of Indian sport, former Olympians have been asked to set things right. I will meet with my colleagues in a day or two and with the help of IOA will chalk out plans for future," Khan told this paper on Monday evening.He added: "The responsibility is huge. I assure all that from now on everything related to Indian hockey will be free and frank. These two aspects were badly missing during the earlier regime."

Asked about his plans, he said: "It’s too early to talk about this. There ought to be long-term and short-term plans. Basically, European countries are the ruling force in international hockey at the moment. We have to come up with some counter plans that can challenge them. Of course, we will take the positives from them but without conceding our own style."

Khan also wishes to involve Ric Charlesworth in the rebuilding process. "The FIH has sent Charlesworth to assist us. The world body is keen to see that we are back as a strong force. Money is not a problem. We will leave no stone unturned to meet our goal," he said.

Dhanraj Pillay thinks 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2010 World Cup should be top priorities. "We have the talent and we still have the firepower to challenge the best. The selectors need to work together and we must go to the grassroots to unearth talents.

The IOA and the sports ministry have given us a job to perform and we have to meet the requirements. They (the K.P.S. Gill-led regime) had done enough damage to Indian hockey. Now that IOA has taken over, things will change for good," said Pillay.

Ajit Pal Singh believes that the new committee will work in unison. "Results will not come overnight. Our primary target should be to move into the top five. That is a logical expectation. At the moment, there is a yawning gap between us and the European teams.

"The talent base is shrinking. So, the challenge is very big. We have to spot real talent. We have to focus on the upcoming three tournaments and then 2010, which will be a big year for Indian hockey. All I can say, we will join hands and will work in unison."

About the dissolution of the Indian Hockey Federation, he said: "The IOA had to take action. Things had reached that stage."

Former captain and four-time Olympian Mukesh Kumar, said, "This was waiting to happen. Gill and Jothikumaran had been running the IHF like their own fiefdom. I would say the IOA has done a great thing by disbanding the hockey federation for the good of hockey. A dark chapter has ended and this is a wonderful day for sports lovers and hockey fans. It feels like sunshine after a nasty night."

[Libran]

Cerr.. I am surprised by your take on this unless there is something that you know that we don't

Almost everyone from former administrators to former players are talking about the harm that KPS Gill did to Indian hockey. He was stubborn...he was a dictator... and one Hockey league cannot be a decider ... it is like stating that GC was a great coach because we won x number of games chasing in indian conditions

[WicketView]

First, let me start by saying that I am completely clueless about hockey. from that perspective, Cernunnos, possibly, seems to have a valid point on the grass to astroturf issue, when the subcontinent dominated the sport. On the other hand, as we are seeing in cricket today, what is imperative to call the shots is money (equivalent to power) rather than the quality. You/we/they may complain that it is terribly unfair, but that is the way things work. So, I am not surprised about the grass to astroturf conversion, even though that seems like a highly plausible reason for our retrogression. Perhaps, we could not have prevented it, but it would have been reasonable to at least raise awareness on the issue (assuming this really played a major role).

But the part I fail to gather from Cernunnos' post is what good KPS Gill did. Did he, for example, stand up against this by trying to move from astro-turf to grass? Did he try to raise awareness on this? (I am not suggesting that he did not ... as I said at the onset, I just have no idea).  Or are the usual feelings, that Ravi sort of summarizes about him true?  In the case of the latter, he is one more negative that we are having to deal with, and why should we not be happy that a negative was gotten rid of?

[dextrous]

First, let me start by saying that I am completely clueless about hockey. from that perspective, Cernunnos, possibly, seems to have a valid point on the grass to astroturf issue, when the subcontinent dominated the sport. On the other hand, as we are seeing in cricket today, what is imperative to call the shots is money (equivalent to power) rather than the quality. You/we/they may complain that it is terribly unfair, but that is the way things work. So, I am not surprised about the grass to astroturf conversion, even though that seems like a highly plausible reason for our retrogression. Perhaps, we could not have prevented it, but it would have been reasonable to at least raise awareness on the issue (assuming this really played a major role).

But the part I fail to gather from Cernunnos' post is what good KPS Gill did. Did he, for example, stand up against this by trying to move from astro-turf to grass? Did he try to raise awareness on this? (I am not suggesting that he did not ... as I said at the onset, I just have no idea).  Or are the usual feelings, that Ravi sort of summarizes about him true?  In the case of the latter, he is one more negative that we are having to deal with, and why should we not be happy that a negative was gotten rid of?

I don't think there's any doubt that astro-turf hockey killed subcontinental hockey dominance for most part. While we should have been able to adapt by now, truth is that (at least until the economic boom post-2000) we most certainly didn't have the money to be investing in these very expensive surfaces. It was also a catch-22 situation in that hockey team couldn't produce old results and thus sponsors were hard to come by. But KPS Gill has been at the helm for 15 years--professional league is nothign to be thrilled about. This should've happened. It is probably also true that the guy before him (can't remember) was equally incompetent and our sports minsiter is no better. However, if indeed they're letting the hockey greats run the show, I'd be thankful for it. Hockey isn't going to change turf overnight; India will have to become a financial superpower in hockey before equations are restored with a clever chief like Dalmiya at the helm who can work with other countries to overthrow European rules. However, until that time, India needs to catch up with the rest of the world (hell, China beat us! that has nothing to do with stickwork!) and the Australian coach is the best way to go--not bc he's australian but bc he genuinely adores India, knows the system, and has a proven track record as a coach.

[Libran]

If someone can come out with the wonderful

"Every goal "scored for" team gets paid Rs 1K
Every goal "scored against" team pays 2K "

we know where his head is...

So in a 1-1 draw, team will end up paying 1K
A 2-1 win, team gets nothing   

Septagenarians and Octogenarians need to be rested ...fed well and prepared for their last journey... not get involved in active management of issues that they have no clue on 

[dextrous]

btw, while we are at it, someone should sack Kalmadi too 

he has been the chair of the olympics committee for close to 25 years...has a track record worse than kps gill's...let's take them all out!

[WicketView]

If someone can come out with the wonderful

"Every goal "scored for" team gets paid Rs 1K
Every goal "scored against" team pays 2K "

we know where his head is...

So in a 1-1 draw, team will end up paying 1K
A 2-1 win, team gets nothing   

Septagenarians and Octogenarians need to be rested ...fed well and prepared for their last journey... not get involved in active management of issues that they have no clue on 

If someone can come out with the wonderful

"Every goal "scored for" team gets paid Rs 1K
Every goal "scored against" team pays 2K "

we know where his head is...

So in a 1-1 draw, team will end up paying 1K
A 2-1 win, team gets nothing   

Septagenarians and Octogenarians need to be rested ...fed well and prepared for their last journey... not get involved in active management of issues that they have no clue on 

Wow, theoretically they could win each match  (for eg. 3-2) of the tournament, lift the cup and end up in debt.

[Cernunnos]

First, let me start by saying that I am completely clueless about hockey. from that perspective, Cernunnos, possibly, seems to have a valid point on the grass to astroturf issue, when the subcontinent dominated the sport. On the other hand, as we are seeing in cricket today, what is imperative to call the shots is money (equivalent to power) rather than the quality. You/we/they may complain that it is terribly unfair, but that is the way things work. So, I am not surprised about the grass to astroturf conversion, even though that seems like a highly plausible reason for our retrogression. Perhaps, we could not have prevented it, but it would have been reasonable to at least raise awareness on the issue (assuming this really played a major role).

As I said, in the current situation I'm in favour of host teams determining the type of turf, just like we have in cricket and tennis. In fact in a fair world, astrohockey should not even be part of the Olympics because of the oppressive costs of buying and maintaining astroturfs.

In the FIH, India has been completely marginalised. To a man/woman, every single president, general secretary and treasurer of the FIH has been a european. It is shameful that we should accept their ascendancy and let them define "modern" hockey.

But the part I fail to gather from Cernunnos' post is what good KPS Gill did. Did he, for example, stand up against this by trying to move from astro-turf to grass? Did he try to raise awareness on this? (I am not suggesting that he did not ... as I said at the onset, I just have no idea).  Or are the usual feelings, that Ravi sort of summarizes about him true?  In the case of the latter, he is one more negative that we are having to deal with, and why should we not be happy that a negative was gotten rid of?

I don't want to come across as saying that KPS Gill did a great job. I just detest the way the FIH has run roughshod over Indian hockey and now triggered this collapse. I see the IHF has petty thieves when compared to the murderers called FIH. KPS Gill's brainchild PHL has some rule changes which favour our style of play. For example we have 4 sessions instead of 2. I predict that pretty soon those rule changes will go away from the PHL.

And be very wary of some of the hotheads who are about to take over, Dhanraj Pillay and Aslam Sher Khan would put Harbhajan and Sreesanth to shame with their antics. Don't forget that jothikumaran was also a former player.

And the least said about Kalmadi the better.

[k-slice]

Blwe/Cerrenuous
I was one of those cheering when KPS was made the head. I expected him to be fair and straight forward.Unfortunately that honeymoon lasted for a very short time. KPS gill was instrumental in 'Resting" Dhanraj Pillai when he was at the top of his game. I am sure his intentions were good and his heart was in the right place but unfortunately neither of the 2 win India medals. As a leader he should have been instrumental in making the Indian Hockey league a success. he failed. He should have been instrumental in getting a good coach, I dont care of what nationality. He failed. He should have roped in sponsors and got astroturf put up wherever possible(my views on astroturf follow but leave the pros and cons out right now). He failed. He shouldhave realised that Indian Hockey is terminally Ill about 7 or 8 years ago and started taking precautions then. he failed. he should have molested IAS officers by groping their behinds. Wait he passed there.
On the whole KPS had become a megalomaniac. he thought it was all about him. Sitting and b***hing and moaning about how indian cricket is rich and hockey isnt is not going to change it. Getting hockey rish is. When people say he cannot be held responsible for someone elsein the organization taking money that makes no sense. Would you not hold Sharad pawar responsible were vengsarkar to accept bribes? I for sure would. similarly CEOs of companies are held to account for frauds that occur without their explicit or implicit knowledge. Why? Because it is their damn job to ensure that they A. Hire the right person and B. Have a good idea about what is going on around them. KPS has failed on both those accounts and therefore i am totally in agreement with the idea that he should be chucked out.

[Cover Point]

Pathetic decision to sack KPS Gill. We have really become a gutless serf state as far as sports are concerned.

get some white-skinned europeans and americans to rule the indians....and we shall live peacefully for ever!
there is politics at every level.....and they have targetted the man, who is atleast trying to do his best to make some sense amidst chaos.

The real salvation for Indian hockey lied in showing the finger to the FIH which r*ped the Indian game of hockey, by replacing it with an artificial game called Astro(TM)hockey with completely different rules, a game totally unnatural to the Indian character. KPS Gill created the Professional Hockey League with subtle indigenized rule changes in an effort to bring viewership and money into the game. For that alone he deserved to continue.

The disgusting politics of the FIH, linking regime change with the World Cup, is unheard of sport. Very cunningly, they've had their way. Now watch out for the orders of Rs. 4 crore astroturfs from European companies which will pretty soon become liabilities, and plum jobs for foreign coaches who will kill our skillful style for brute powerplay.

Meanwhile let us celebrate the regime change, without spending a paisa to go to a hockey game.

I'll agree with you that KPS Gill is not corrupt. Granted.

I will NOT agree with you that KPS Gill has been good for Indian hockey, your disdain for foreign coaches notwithstanding. KPS Gill, while not corrupt, has been incompetent at best. His decisions have been made on the basis of his personal whims, not good hockey sense. Ric Charlesworth will be the best coach Indian can have right now. Indian hockey coaches are CLUELESS about modern hockey. Asto-turf may have ruined the Indian domination, however, we need to adapt or we might as well stop playing hockey. Astro-turf is a rather useless surface that has become obsolete in every sport except for hockey...I'll even agree with that. However,  just because you didn't like GC, doesn't mean foreign coaches/training will destroy Indian hockey...whatever is left of it anyway.

we play our cricket on Astro-turf (concrete pitches with Astro turf on top. Wonderful surface IMO. The ball just zips through ... and the hits too go bang. Did I tell you about my huge six from Saturday

I very seriously doubt you've ever played cricket on astro turf bc of two reasons:
--Astro-turfs cost a fortune and only hockey uses it still for most part.
--Most astro-turf companies are out of business

Most likely you're talking about the new artificial field-turf, which is something in between grass and astro-turf, and is used commonly in indoor fieldhouses across american colleges.

Dude sir, it is indeed astro turf. We only cover the PITCH with it (not the entire ground) and it is indeed astro turf. Allows us to play on a bouncy concrete surface and astro turf stays around forever.... so dont have to cover uncover or remove like matting.

Its a solution for basically allowing the pitch to be usable at all times. Even after rains ... the pitch itself is fine ... its usually the matter of making sure that the rest of the ground is ok

[WicketView]

First, let me start by saying that I am completely clueless about hockey. from that perspective, Cernunnos, possibly, seems to have a valid point on the grass to astroturf issue, when the subcontinent dominated the sport. On the other hand, as we are seeing in cricket today, what is imperative to call the shots is money (equivalent to power) rather than the quality. You/we/they may complain that it is terribly unfair, but that is the way things work. So, I am not surprised about the grass to astroturf conversion, even though that seems like a highly plausible reason for our retrogression. Perhaps, we could not have prevented it, but it would have been reasonable to at least raise awareness on the issue (assuming this really played a major role).

As I said, in the current situation I'm in favour of host teams determining the type of turf, just like we have in cricket and tennis. In fact in a fair world, astrohockey should not even be part of the Olympics because of the oppressive costs of buying and maintaining astroturfs.

In the FIH, India has been completely marginalised. To a man/woman, every single president, general secretary and treasurer of the FIH has been a european. It is shameful that we should accept their ascendancy and let them define "modern" hockey.

Yes, I agree with you here. But, as I pointed out, the only way to change that seems to be generating enough money to push our agenda.

But the part I fail to gather from Cernunnos' post is what good KPS Gill did. Did he, for example, stand up against this by trying to move from astro-turf to grass? Did he try to raise awareness on this? (I am not suggesting that he did not ... as I said at the onset, I just have no idea).  Or are the usual feelings, that Ravi sort of summarizes about him true?  In the case of the latter, he is one more negative that we are having to deal with, and why should we not be happy that a negative was gotten rid of?

I don't want to come across as saying that KPS Gill did a great job. I just detest the way the FIH has run roughshod over Indian hockey and now triggered this collapse. I see the IHF has petty thieves when compared to the murderers called FIH. KPS Gill's brainchild PHL has some rule changes which favour our style of play. For example we have 4 sessions instead of 2. I predict that pretty soon those rule changes will go away from the PHL.

And be very wary of some of the hotheads who are about to take over, Dhanraj Pillay and Aslam Sher Khan would put Harbhajan and Sreesanth to shame with their antics. Don't forget that jothikumaran was also a former player.

And the least said about Kalmadi the better.

OK, so KPS Gill made some rule changes to the professional Hockey league. Are these also there in the world cup/ Olympics etc?

While IHF may be petty thieves to the FIH, I don't see what we can do about that. We could start by having people who would be respected, and willing to push forward our agenda, as also pull ourselves up to suit the situation. So, the question to me is whether we can get someone who is better than KPS Gill for this task, since KPS Gill has been, even by your statement, a poor administrator. I would hope that Dhanraj Pillay, Ashok Kumar generate respect just through their hockey credentials. Of course, that is far from enough. And if you are stating that these people, great hockey players, they may be, are unsuitible to run an administrative body (I have no knowledge about them), I can see how this is a bad move.

[Cernunnos]

First, let me start by saying that I am completely clueless about hockey. from that perspective, Cernunnos, possibly, seems to have a valid point on the grass to astroturf issue, when the subcontinent dominated the sport. On the other hand, as we are seeing in cricket today, what is imperative to call the shots is money (equivalent to power) rather than the quality. You/we/they may complain that it is terribly unfair, but that is the way things work. So, I am not surprised about the grass to astroturf conversion, even though that seems like a highly plausible reason for our retrogression. Perhaps, we could not have prevented it, but it would have been reasonable to at least raise awareness on the issue (assuming this really played a major role).

As I said, in the current situation I'm in favour of host teams determining the type of turf, just like we have in cricket and tennis. In fact in a fair world, astrohockey should not even be part of the Olympics because of the oppressive costs of buying and maintaining astroturfs.

In the FIH, India has been completely marginalised. To a man/woman, every single president, general secretary and treasurer of the FIH has been a european. It is shameful that we should accept their ascendancy and let them define "modern" hockey.

Yes, I agree with you here. But, as I pointed out, the only way to change that seems to be generating enough money to push our agenda.

But the part I fail to gather from Cernunnos' post is what good KPS Gill did. Did he, for example, stand up against this by trying to move from astro-turf to grass? Did he try to raise awareness on this? (I am not suggesting that he did not ... as I said at the onset, I just have no idea).  Or are the usual feelings, that Ravi sort of summarizes about him true?  In the case of the latter, he is one more negative that we are having to deal with, and why should we not be happy that a negative was gotten rid of?

I don't want to come across as saying that KPS Gill did a great job. I just detest the way the FIH has run roughshod over Indian hockey and now triggered this collapse. I see the IHF has petty thieves when compared to the murderers called FIH. KPS Gill's brainchild PHL has some rule changes which favour our style of play. For example we have 4 sessions instead of 2. I predict that pretty soon those rule changes will go away from the PHL.

And be very wary of some of the hotheads who are about to take over, Dhanraj Pillay and Aslam Sher Khan would put Harbhajan and Sreesanth to shame with their antics. Don't forget that jothikumaran was also a former player.

And the least said about Kalmadi the better.

OK, so KPS Gill made some rule changes to the professional Hockey league. Are these also there in the world cup/ Olympics etc?

While IHF may be petty thieves to the FIH, I don't see what we can do about that. We could start by having people who would be respected, and willing to push forward our agenda, as also pull ourselves up to suit the situation. So, the question to me is whether we can get someone who is better than KPS Gill for this task, since KPS Gill has been, even by your statement, a poor administrator. I would hope that Dhanraj Pillay, Ashok Kumar generate respect just through their hockey credentials. Of course, that is far from enough. And if you are stating that these people, great hockey players, they may be, are unsuitible to run an administrative body (I have no knowledge about them), I can see how this is a bad move.

What we can do about it is to gradually move away from the FIH's stranglehold - just like the US doesn't care much about Olympics and world championships in basketball. Yes, the PHL had different rules from normal international hockey. In fact some european players were so impresssed that they went back and implemented it in their Euro hockey league (restructured along lines of the PHL). The FIH was concerned by all this and have enghineered this coup which we all have gleefully cheered.

No where in the world can assignment of the World Cup (which is on rotational basis) be assigned on performance. India is still the 8th ranked Hockey nation in the world! We just won the Asian Cup last year beating all the top teams including Pakistan, South Korea and China!

So India has to be in the top 5 then only they can host the World Cup??

And who are the ones in judgement of Gill - Kalmadi the Calamity and Priya Ranjan Das Munshi (under whom we have now become 154th ranked in football).

[Cernunnos]

Blwe/Cerrenuous
I was one of those cheering when KPS was made the head. I expected him to be fair and straight forward.Unfortunately that honeymoon lasted for a very short time. KPS gill was instrumental in 'Resting" Dhanraj Pillai when he was at the top of his game. I am sure his intentions were good and his heart was in the right place but unfortunately neither of the 2 win India medals. As a leader he should have been instrumental in making the Indian Hockey league a success. he failed. He should have been instrumental in getting a good coach, I dont care of what nationality. He failed. He should have roped in sponsors and got astroturf put up wherever possible(my views on astroturf follow but leave the pros and cons out right now). He failed. He shouldhave realised that Indian Hockey is terminally Ill about 7 or 8 years ago and started taking precautions then. he failed. he should have molested IAS officers by groping their behinds. Wait he passed there.
On the whole KPS had become a megalomaniac. he thought it was all about him. Sitting and b***hing and moaning about how indian cricket is rich and hockey isnt is not going to change it. Getting hockey rish is. When people say he cannot be held responsible for someone elsein the organization taking money that makes no sense. Would you not hold Sharad pawar responsible were vengsarkar to accept bribes? I for sure would. similarly CEOs of companies are held to account for frauds that occur without their explicit or implicit knowledge. Why? Because it is their damn job to ensure that they A. Hire the right person and B. Have a good idea about what is going on around them. KPS has failed on both those accounts and therefore i am totally in agreement with the idea that he should be chucked out.

It's easy to say "failed" ad nauseum. How do you know the PHL has failed? It takes years to build league loyalty, and it is still a work in progress. And there are many positives that have come out of it. Besides, KPS Gill did bring in money but in an astroturf sport, any amount of money is just not enough. As for the organisation argument, it is misplaced. All these posts are honorary posts, and the secretary is elected separately and can be from a different faction. For example Dalmiya was president while Niranjan Shah (who was from the Pawar clique) was board secretary. So dissolving KPS Gill because the alleged misdeeds of the secretary is misleading at the best.

And I am not against KPS gill going, but only if the proper procedure is followed, not by this illegal process.
Only the Telegraph has had the guts to point it out:


http://www.telegraphindia.com/1080430/jsp/frontpage/story_9209129.jsp



Sport pots call kettle black

New Delhi, April 29: The men who judged and hanged K.P.S. Gill yesterday have just as poor records as the former hockey chief in running their own sports.

Now it seems they are on thin ice legally and have used arguments that can easily be turned against them.

Lawyers said the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) dusted off a forgotten clause in its constitution to sack Gill and suspend the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), reminiscent of Emergency-era purges. And it flouted its own rules by failing to send the federation a showcause notice.

“There are lots of holes in the IOA decision. They may get embarrassed if the IHF officials challenge the decision in court,” said Ushanath Banerjee, an apex court lawyer.

The IOA constitution allows the country’s parent sports body to “consider disaffiliation/derecognition/suspension of the national sports federations… after ensuring that a showcause notice has been served and an explanation… obtained and considered.”

Besides, the IOA constitution allows such action only under three conditions:

- If the federation repeatedly refuses to follow IOA directives

- If it fails to hold elections after office-bearers’ tenures run out

- If it fails to hand in its annual audited accounts, annual report or list of office-bearers

The IHF had not violated any of these clauses. IOA sources said the association brass had scoured the constitution to find a suitable weapon, and settled on a rule under the “powers and duties” of the organisation’s general assembly, made up of all its member federations. Clause A (xviii) allows the IOA “to take disciplinary action against any national sports federation/association for misbehaviour or any other undesirable activity bringing discredit to the country”.

Since the IOA president and the executive are authorised to deal with all matters between general assembly meetings, they decided to go ahead. The immediate charge against the IHF was the bribery scandal involving its secretary K. Jyothikumaran, who has since resigned. With the probe yet to be completed, this was an insufficient tool.

The IOA finally used world hockey body FIH’s threat, following the bribe scandal, to cancel all development projects in India and withdraw the 2010 World Cup unless the current office-bearers were removed.

Rahul Mehra, another apex court lawyer, felt the IHF had been denied natural justice. “Since Jyothikumaran was not present at the meeting, his side wasn’t heard.”

Mehra feels that if the IHF moves court, the IOA will argue that the notice for the meeting where Gill was sacked was actually a show-cause notice. “It might say that since Gill was present, he got an opportunity to present his case.”

A senior IOA official said the logic behind the sack could be turned against IOA president Suresh Kalmadi and football chief Priya Ranjan Das Munshi.

“If the FIH criticism is used to sack Gill, one should also take into account what Sepp Blatter said when he came to India.”

Blatter, the head of world football body Fifa, had said India was “a hundred years behind” the leading soccer nations.

“Also, the Commonwealth Games Federation’s inspectors have, after every Indian tour, criticised Kalmadi and his men for the tardiness of the 2010 Games preparations. Will these two also be sent to the guillotine?” the official asked.

Kalmadi’s and Das Munshi’s good fortune could be that unlike Gill, they have not had to stand comparison with a glorious past. India has never done well in the sports they run.