Hockey India: Play nationals, forget career

Hockey India has now issued a new diktat to the hockey players. Play the ongoing nationals and forget your career. This threat is a big worry to the players who are participating in ongoing 63rd Rangaswamy Cup.

The coarse state of hockey in India

This tournament has come as an opportunity to the players who do not have a chance to represent India in international level. Many of these players are trying for a government job through this tournament. Haseen Khan of Rajasthan said, “I hope to get a government job after playing in the championship. But I am still not sure about the authenticity of the event. Since the nationals have not been held for many years now, this is my last chance to participate.”Many players see this tournament as a step to land government jobs in their states.Many states have not heeded the advice of Hockey India and have participated in the tournament. But there are some states that have not participated in the tournament. Also some of them were not allowed to participate like teams of Army, Railways etc.The players might face a problem in the future, and clearly the war between the IHF and HI is not helping hockey. Not only the players but even the officials might also face trouble. One of the umpires said, that the move will not be good for Indian hockey as participating players will not be allowed to play any further.Many players were forced to participate in the tournament from their respective states. A player participating in the tournament said that he did not want to participate in the tournament, but he was forced by his state team to participate in the tournament.

War between IHF and HI has now caught the players and it remains to be seen what action will Hockey India take against the players and the officials who have participated.