Just when you think Indian hockey is on the road to regain its former glory, something hits it, and hard! Barely five months into his assignment, the chief coach of the men’s team, Paul Van Ass has been sacked (although the Hockey India honcho, Narinder Batra says he has not). The Dutchman, who was a top player of his time and also a successful coach for his nation’s own national team, came in to take control of the Indian team that has been on the ascendance.

What could be the reason for this bolt from the blue, even more so when the Olympics are just a year away? As always, the reason seems to be trivial, perhaps even the fragile ego of the ruling deity of Hockey India, Narinder Batra. Apparently after the game against Malaysia at the FINTRO World Hockey League Semi-Final at Antwerp on July 1, where India barely managed to win, Batra entered the field to speak to the players. And this is where the versions vary.

One version is that Batra entered the field and started addressing the players, to which the chief coach objected. If that is the case, the coach had every right to object. The other version is that Batra took permission from Van Ass to enter the field and also to address the players, in Hindi, as that is the language most are comfortable in. Fair enough. But apparently after a while, Van Ass asked Batra to leave the players as he had to make them do the mandatory stretching as part of the drill. At this point, the bossman of Hockey India threw his weight around and there was a slanging match between the two.

Irrespective of which version is true, the coach is supreme and Batra had absolutely no need to get into a spat with him in front of all, including players who look up to a coach as their family elder. And imagine the timing of this showdown – just a year from what is easily going to be the biggest test for a team that takes justifiable pride in having beaten all the top teams in recent times, including a series win against the redoubtable Aussies, at their home.

How can we allow whims of egoistic administrators to ride roughshod over national interest? And this isn’t the first time either. Indian hockey’s ascendance owes in no uncertain terms to the Aussie coach Terry Walsh. He brought discipline and organisation into the team that was missing. He worked on the players’ strengths, built their fitness levels and gave them the mental strength to take on the best. It was during his period that you saw Indian players play top teams and not get overawed, play them as equals. It was he who took the team to the Asian games gold in Incheon, the all-important gold that clinched us an automatic berth in the Rio Olympics, ahead of most others.

But instead of continuing with his services, Hockey India sacked him because Walsh had a mind of his own. Even hectic efforts by some of the former players on the administrators to let Walsh continue, for the good of the game in the country, failed. Clearly, the administrator’s egos trumped national interest.

Hockey lovers would also remember January 2010, when several players refused to join hockey camp as they were not paid their due for long. Even then, the bungling babus made it seem as if these players were being anti-national by demanding money for playing, while they were only demanding what was promised to them. I had raised it then in this piece – Hockey players need money, dignity and immunity from bungling babus:

(Hockey players need money, dignity and immunity from bungling babus)

Of course, the same man was also responsible for humiliating a former hockey great of the country, Balbir singh, over a perceived criticism by those gathered at a dinner. It was to Balbir’s credit that he did not let this man play with his dignity. I had raised this too in a post in September, 2011 – Wrong hands wield the hockey stick:

(Wrong hands wield the hockey stick)

Hockey is our national sport. After a long time we have players that the world respects, even fears. In Sreejesh, the goalkeeper, or Sardara Singh, the brilliant pivot, or SV Sunil, perhaps the speediest winger in the world, and so many others, we again have a nucleus of a team that can take on the best. What they need at this time is the services of a top coach and not bruised egos of power hungry administrators.