Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to fulfil it. Such is the fate of Indian hockey, continuing as it does to live in denial of its numerous self-inflicted wounds while stubbornly seeking contrived justification for its maddening ways. Much as those overseeing the systematic ruin of the game in this country might insist that the decision of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to red-card New Delhi as host of the December 3-11 men’s Champions Trophy is unwarranted, there lies strong ground for such exemplary punishment to have been meted out. Furthermore, for administrators who cannot be allowed to claim ignorance of the price invariably exacted by factionalism and politicking — such evils having precipitated the fall from grace of a hockey nation once synonymous with Olympic gold — there must necessarily be action most severe by the sport’s international community.
And yet, unambiguous as this indictment is, succeeding it will be the latest chapter in an unchanging script: refusing to heed the lessons embarrassingly thrust upon their self-serving selves, the parasites feeding on what was once inarguably India’s national game will thrive in the theatre of chaos they have so carefully constructed.
Now, as ever, Indian hockey continues to suffer for the sin of being a house divided. Indeed, there exist between the present and the inglorious past of the mid-1970s uncomfortable parallels with regard to avoidable conflict between custodians of the game and the painful self-goals attendant upon unadulterated and uncompromising lust for power. The bitter battle between PN Sahni and MAM Ramaswamy, then chieftains in the northern and southern blocs of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), became the sport’s central story after the beleaguered Ashwini Kumar was forced to relinquish the post of president in 1973. With ceasefire proving elusive even after the government appointed a Supreme Court judge to monitor the IHF elections, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) disaffiliated the IHF and assumed charge — a step challenged in court by the Ramaswamy group. Indeed, it is with a non-functional IHF that India secured the World Cup in 1975. Ramaswamy’s subsequent election victory failed to bring closure to this multi-dimensional acrimony, affiliated associations owing allegiance to Sahni remaining withdrawn from the IHF’s ventures, and the IOA-IHF face-off finding revival. While suspension of the IHF by the IOA in 1978 was followed by the former seeking legal recourse, a temporary injunction in its favour, coupled with support from the FIH, led to the reins of the game eventually returning to the IHF and a semblance of sanity being restored.
That neglect was heaped upon hockey and India’s reputation suffered much damage during this venal pursuit of power did not concern the game’s administrators then. Predictably, and unfortunately, the action replay of an imperfect past has failed to induce embarrassment in their modern-day avatars. Losing the right to host the Champions Trophy could yet deprive the national team of the opportunity to compete against the best. And should the Olympic qualification tournament slotted for February next year be shifted from our shores, London 2012 might prove a bridge too far to cross for this country’s hopes in hockey.
Rather than the blame game that all concerned — Hockey India (HI), the IHF, IOA and government — are currently engaged in, acceptance of guilt is what is needed from officialdom. Else, the meeting between FIH president Leandro Negre and sports minister Ajay Maken, expected to be held on September 13, will push Indian hockey another step closer to the point of no return.