ViruRulez Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 I dont want to discuss or post much today. Just saw a news interview which really made me sad. Maybe most of you have known the protest by our hockey players for payment dues etc. I did not give much attention or check as I thought it must be some unreasonable demand by the players maybe. But I just watched both NDTV and CNN IBN interviews with hockey players and other sportsperson and realized the condition of the national game. The players are not demanding or asking for anything much. The players are asking that they be paid their dues as they have not been paid for the whole last year and need to feed their families. They are just asking for 4.5 lakhs per player for all the hockey tournaments they played last year. That means less than even Rs.40000 per month. Bloody even a normal person earns more than that so what is the fuss about paying only that much money for somebody playing for the national game of the country. I was really sad to hear this. The hockey federation says they dont have enough money and can only give them Rs.25000 for now instead of Rs. 4.5 lakhs. Really I am happy about cricketers but I am really saddened at this conditions of the national game viz. hockey. Frankly speaking the game would die down and people would stop playing if there is even lesser money at the national game at the national level then even a normal employed person. I am really saddened and pissed off. A few companies including a cement company and a few state govts. have come forward in the news channels and offered to pay for everything. But really yaar they are national players who must have worked so hard to get to play for the national team and now they are not even paid that much money so that they can even lead a normal life. Bhai a good national cricketer earns maybe more than 4.5 lakhs on average in every single day and a national hockey player is not even given that amount for his hard work and devotion to the nation in the whole year. I am not sure where and what is wrong but something seems to be seriously wrong here. The players were quite emotional as they told about feeding their own families even and I really felt very sad. Their demand for 4.5 lakh rupees for a whole year is said to be too much but I dont understand how is it too much when even a normal person earns more than that. I really hope that the deadlock is broken but I am really feeling sad. Maybe we including the companies too are just giving too much importance to cricket and have forgotten other games including even our national games. (
ViruRulez Posted January 12, 2010 Author Posted January 12, 2010 For those who do not know about the whole thing, here is one of the latest news about it PUNE/NEW DELHI: India's hockey crisis deepened as Hockey India (HI), after failing to resolve the outstanding payments issue, warned the protesting players Tuesday that if they did not return to the camp, a new team would have to be drafted for the New Delhi World Cup. Players sent out a strong message to HI that if the national organisation cannot pay them, they would spend their own money and play in next month's World Cup. As the deadlock continued, Sports Mminister MS Gill asked the hockey players to get back to training, and promised to take up their grievances with the elected HI soon after the World Cup. In Pune, Hockey India president AK Mattoo said: "They (players) came up with a break-up that each player has to be paid for the year 2009. We don't have the money to meet their demands. We don't have any other choice. I told them if they do not resume training from tomorrow, we are going to have a new set of players for the World Cup." "Money is more important for them and the country is secondary," he said. Mattoo also added HI will chose players from all over the country and prepare them for next month's World Cup. "We will be left with no other option, but to select another set of players from across the country, give them a crash course through our coaches Jose Brasa and Harendra Singh, and I am sure that they will do well in the World Cup. But I hope it does not come to that point and players resume training," he said. The players made it clear that they were only asking for the match fees for playing last year plus the incentive bonus for doing well on the tours of Canada and New Zealand where they won the series. India forward Prabhjot Singh said the players were not given any assurance by HI officials. "We went there and whatever we wanted, we gave them in writing. In 2009, we had some podium finishes and we want incentive or reward. The first thing they said is that 'we don't have money'." "If that is the scene, then how can we come to a solution? We said we would like to have a conversation with Sahara, the sponsors of the team. But there also we did not get any assurance. We don't know anything about their (HI) accounts, expenditure." "They are saying that they will give us just Rs 25,000 per player." "So, we came back with the draft. We are back to square one," Prabhjot Singh said with the entire team backing him. India captain Rajpal Singh said: "We will play the World Cup with our own money if it (HI) can't pay us. We are a national team, not a school team." "We are being heard only because of the World Cup. You think we would be discussing here right now had it not been for the World Cup? Why only players are told that they should play for the country? Why can't the administrators think about the country?" asked forward Deepak Thakur. Sports Minister Gill in a statement said: "I appeal to the players to immediately join training and continue so, focussing on winning the World Cup." Expressing concern over the stand-off between Hockey India (HI) and players over outstanding payments, Gill said the Sports Authority of India is closely monitoring the developments. "I have noted the grievances of the players as projected through the media reports in the past few days. I am concerned at the standoff between Hockey India and the national team over issues of payments." Gill reminded the players that after the supersession of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), the re-incarnated Hockey India is an ad-hoc body. "The election process for Hockey India, under the guidance of the ministry's observer and the FIH, is in the process, and will be completed on February 7, when a regular management, with a regular tenure, will assume office." "After the World Cup, the sports ministry will take up the issues raised by the players with the elected Hockey India and find satisfactory solution," Gill said.
ViruRulez Posted January 12, 2010 Author Posted January 12, 2010 Just to clarify my first post of Rs.4.5 lakh for each player, it is not 4.5 lakhs rupees for each player but it is the maximum amount. Some players would get less than a lakh rupees depending on the amount of hockey he could play. They are also fighting for the players who were injured while playing saying they should also receive their full fees as they were injured while playing the game. The players also said they would accept if Hockey India gives them in writing that they would be paid in the future but HI is also not doing that. Sahara is also the sponsor of the Hockey team and so I dont understand how can there be so less funds when Sahara pays hundreds of crores for the cricket team every year.
Ram Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 Its unbelievable that we cannot even pay our national hockey players their minimum wage.
ViruRulez Posted January 12, 2010 Author Posted January 12, 2010 I did not watch the discussion from the start on CNN IBN but found all the parts in the website. I watched mainly the third part mentioned here in the news where they mention the amount of only Rs.4.5 lakhs. Part 1 http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/108615/hockey-players-officials-spar-over-unpaid-dues.html Part 2 http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/108615/01_2010/talkingpoint_hockey2/hockey-players-officials-spar-over-unpaid-dues.html Part 3 http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/108615/01_2010/talkingpoint_hockey3/hockey-players-officials-spar-over-unpaid-dues.html
ViruRulez Posted January 12, 2010 Author Posted January 12, 2010 Frankly speaking I think we are also somewhat to be blamed. Although I love watching sports channels etc. but I have never even watched a single complete hockey match till date. We watch games where no Indians play too but we dont have time to watch our national sport. So, the sponsors also find it to be a good market though not even minimum wage for the year is really saddening. But we are also to blame maybe and maybe we should also give some importance to other sports so that they sustain alongwith cricket too. We have been hockey champions for decades in the past and still we neglected it which is quite sad. Anyways hope everything is well soon.
lonestarranger Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 Screw cricket, if that's the state of the national game, just imagine the plight of the football players :(
punjabi_khota Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 Cricket should be made national game. Making any other game the national game is such a big joke.
Sachinism Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 Cricket should be made national game. Making any other game the national game is such a big joke. :dito:
Lurker Posted January 12, 2010 Posted January 12, 2010 The players also said they would accept if Hockey India gives them in writing that they would be paid in the future but HI is also not doing that. Sahara is also the sponsor of the Hockey team and so I dont understand how can there be so less funds when Sahara pays hundreds of crores for the cricket team every year. Name me 2 good players from Pakistan hockey team today. Or Australia. Or Netherlands. Or England. Chances are you would come up short. On the other hand you would most likely know all the XI players even from Zimbabwe. So there's your answer. Sahara would sponsor Hockey team for a pittance of what it pays to sponsor Indian cricket team simply because of the (stupid) fan following. Then of course there is the whole case of corrupt Hockey Officials. By the way I mentioned naming hockey players because it shows a paradigm shift in the mindset of Indian sporting fans. If you have ever been lucky to watch Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Golmaal you would remember the India-Pakistan hockey game that Amol Palekar goes to and talks vividly about Kalimullah and others. Of course these days instead of trying to learn about the game who brought us most International medals we prefer to replace it by another game as National Game etc. xxxx
Texy Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 hockey is already dead...soccer is only played in certain parts of the country.... india's one and only sport is cricket....sad...pretty sad
Aaku Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 I loved hockey before cricket :| It feeels pathetic to see the players in sucha condition.. I hope things work out soon ! And I hope the media gives them alot of positive coverage.. And I hope they get sponsors soon.. And I hope we win the WC.. And I hope to watch my boys play this CWG ! :((
Aaku Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 To see Viren Rasquina retire at 28.. was heartbreaking ! Just tells you how satisfied the players are. Stupid stupid hockey fed !
yoda Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 What does "National game" mean? Just an official title or do you get extra funding or support for it from the govt?
Zelig Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 Five years back, the ESPN had set up the PHL, a league that was similar to the IPL et al. The first season turned out to be a massive hit with people turning out in numbers to watch the players from all around the world mixing it with the home grown 'talents'. Our hockey was at the cross roads then, if the officials of the IHF had been more proactive they would have used the league as the catalyst to turn the fortunes of our National team. As it turned out the League started to lose its flavor three years from its birth and was shut down last year. Then our team failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, the IHF was rightly blamed, it was dismantled by the sports ministry(whose head doesn know who Pullela Gopichand is) and then they set up the ad-hoc committee. I thought it was a new dawn for Indian hockey but I was wrong:((
Gambit Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 I am most definitely going to go for the India-Pak hockey game in Delhi on 28th Feb during this year's world cup.
ViruRulez Posted January 13, 2010 Author Posted January 13, 2010 The problem is resolved and the players will attend training from tomorrow. Sahara has also offered 1 crore and IOC president Kalmadi has said that the players would be paid the money within the next one week
Lurker Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 I am most definitely going to go for the India-Pak hockey game in Delhi on 28th Feb during this year's world cup. You lucky so and so. The problem is resolved and the players will attend training from tomorrow. Sahara has also offered 1 crore and IOC president Kalmadi has said that the players would be paid the money within the next one week 1 crore for the entire team for an entire year. Bet even Praveen Kumar makes more than that. :sniffle:
The Outsider Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 Lurker, it's never a one way street. It's simplistic to say that cricket took over hockey. The fact is our hockey team became mediocre starting in the 70s into the 80s and were never able to recover from it. If the team had been winning the sport would still have been popular. It was quite popular even in the late 80s - early 90s. I am not absolving the government of the role it has played in the decline or sponsors from shying away from the responsibility of investing more in it, but some portion of the blame also lies with the mediocre performances the team kept putting up for years and years.
Aaku Posted January 13, 2010 Posted January 13, 2010 BCCI steps ahead to help Indian Hockey I wish BCCI takes over the hockey fed !
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