Indian sports is in a ferment. Leagues are mushrooming, foreign players are coming in hordes to the country which till a decade ago they used to avoid visiting. Moneyis pouring in, if one goes by the owners of the leagues and on the government side, its sports ministry is busy setting committees and task force.
Federations are trying hard to attract sponsors, claiming that leagues run by them are making money, but when it comes to creating infrastructure or providing facilities for players they (barring BCCI) always expect the government to pay.
The most sought after sports body in the country the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is now being run by a Committee of Administrators (CoA) appointed by the Supreme Court. It is headed by former Comptroller General of India, the fire eating Vinod Rai.
On the other hand, BCCI’s former boss Shahshank Manohar, who is now head of the International Cricket Council (ICC), is systematically trying to dismantle the strong commercial edifice built by his predecessor and compatriot N Srinivasan, which was advantageous for India.
The Indian Premier League auction has once again proved that there is no method in the madness while picking up the players for the teams
Manohar’s logic of depriving his own country of the financial benefitsis ‘based purely on Gandhian principles’. He is of the view that Srinivasan’s ‘Big Three’ formula, in which India, along with Australia and England, get major shares of the ICC revenue is discriminatory.
The BCCI has profited the most from the ‘Big Three’ system, as it gets the major chunk of the revenues that ICC earns from its events and broadcasting rights between 2015 and 2023.
India is supposed to get around 21 per cent share followed by Australia and England. But now Manohar will undo it because “it does not go along with Indian values”.
Pakistan and a few other cricket playing countries must be wondering why they could not find Shahshank Manohar earlier.
Staying with the money business, former ‘Captain Cool’ Mahendra Singh Dhoni seemed to have lost his Midas Touch. The man who till recently was consider to be one of the most visible faces on the commercials and was once touted as among the richest sports persons in the world by Forbes magazine, was summarily sacked as a captain of IPL franchise Pune Super Giants.
The removal was dramatic and shocking, and Pune team owner Sanjiv Goenka offered no reason but closed the whole issue in a terse statement which read: “I have the highest regard for MS Dhoni as a leader and a person. Dhoni will continue to be an important part of our team. He is supportive of the decision, keeping the franchisee’s best interests in mind.”
Only a year and half ago, the same Sanjiv Goenka was singing paeans while announcing that Dhoni will lead his team in the IPL.
Dhoni’s removal coincided with another big commercial deals it was announced that Virat Kohli has become the first Indian sportsperson to sign a Rs 100-crore endorsement, with a single brand.
The Indian captain has struck an eightyear deal with sports lifestyle brand Puma worth about Rs 110 crore. Kohli will now be in the company of Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, and footballers Thierry Henry and Oliver Giroud – among others – as a global ambassador for the brand.
The IPL auction has once again proved that there is no method in the madness while
People Have Started Asking Question About The Utility Of ISL, In Which Retired Or Out Of Job Foreign Players Come To Play And Earn Handsome Money
picking up the players. Money talked but with no logic: Ishant, J Root, Cheteshwar Pujara and Irfan Pathan failed to find sponsors while unheralded players hit the jackpot. Back to other sports, Hockey India League (HIL), Pro Wrestling League, Kabbadi League, Badminton League all went through the motions without creating much ripple.
The Wrestling League was confined to one centre-Delhi, while the badminton league figured only briefly in newspapers.
Veteran tennis player Mahesh Bhupathiowned IPTL fell by the wayside, though the former Olympian was handed the job of a non-playing captain of the national team by the All India Tennis Federation.
Coal India and ONGC pumped in crores as sponsorship money to keep HIL afloat, while the once prestigious Nehru Hockey tournament is struggling for survival because of lack of support from the government and corporate houses. Indian football is in poor shape and is ranked 134thin the world.
However, using his clout All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel, who was union minister at that time, managed then UPA government to bid for the U-17 World Cup. The tourney is scheduled to be held in the country in October this year, but the team has no coach, as AIFF sacked coach Nicolai Adam and assistant coach Etibar Ibrahimov. In a statement, the AIFF said Adam and them ‘parted ways with mutual consent’ without elaborating further. Adam, sources said, was paid approximately Rs 40 lakh as compensation, which amounted to four-anda- half months of his salary. Adam was appointed as the coach two years ago on the recommendation of the German Football Federation.
The reason for the sacking was, 21 players from the team had alleged that the former Azerbaijan physically abused them. They also accused Adam and Ibrahimov of beating them and using foul language. Since being appointed as the coach in early 2015, the AIFF has spent close to Rs 8 crore on the team’s preparations for the World Cup, Under Adam, the team played 26 matches (friendlies and under-16 internationals).
They won only four, drew three and lost 19. While there is a lot of talk about renovating the stadiums for the World Cup and efforts are being made to make it hugely successful, nobody is talking about the players or the team and their preparations, which should have been the priority. It looks as if our officials are more interested in hosting International events at the expense of tax payers rather than preparing athletes for such events. In between, the second edition of the Indian Super League took place.
Though in some centres people came in huge numbers but in most other places the response was lukewarm There are people who have started asking question about the utility of ISL, in which retired or out of job foreign players come to play and earn handsome money, given their present status. Their presence has not made any significant impact on the Indian players or team. The $150,000 ITTF World Tour India Open was also played in Delhi. Barring Sharat Achanta Kamal all other Indian paddlers disappointed. The 34-year-old Kamal, who is seven time national champion, lost to 13-year-old Tomokazu Horimoto of Japan 2-4 in the semi-finals.
After hosting the expensive ITTF World tour, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) is preparing to launch its own league.
Asian Cycling, held at the IGI complex, turned out to be disaster for India, as the hosts could bag only two bronze medals in this competition, despite making tall claims before the start.
As if this was not enough, India will also be hosting the first stage (22 February to 4 March) and Final (October) of the ISSF World Cup Shooting.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Raninder Singh said: “The sport of shooting has come a long way in the country and the ISSF World Cup is certainly yet another high point. We warmly welcome all visiting athletes, officials and delegates. It is a proud moment for all our countrymen and we are confident that our athletes will give their very best to make the tricolor fly high.”
The high flying expensive Indian shooting squad had drawn a blank in the Rio Olympics, by the way.
Meanwhile, the sports ministry has also become active and did what best it can do. It constituted a task force to prepare a detailed action plan for the next three Olympic Games.
Sports Minister Vijay Goel said that PM Narendra Modi has approved the constitution of the eight-member committee, which includes Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, national badminton coach Pulella Gopichand, former hockey captain Viren Rasquinha and hockey coach S Baldev Singh.
The task force will suggest a comprehensive plan of action regarding India’s participation at the next three Olympic Games, to be held in 2020, 2024 and 2028, which will include short-term, medium-term and long-term measures for effective results.
Two-time Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar was the first to welcome this task force. He expressed his happiness over the appointment of Abhinav Bindra, Gopi Chand and Viren Rasquinha.
“Inclusion of players like Abhinav and Gopichand in the Olympic task force is the best news for Indian sports. Only players can understand the problems and dilemmas faced by athletes. I feel India will win a lot of medals under the stewardship of these brilliant players. I’m also sure that problems of inadequate diet for players, lack of facilities and kits will be ironed out.”
