The foreign hand

It’s been a week since then and,even as the Sports Ministry mulls over extending Brasa’s contract, Indian hockey continues to fumble in the dark. But those in the know say that the Brasa era is as good as over. Top officials and the all-powerful ‘former Olympians’ lobby have been slamming Brasa of late. But,surprisingly,the Spanish coach has managed to get a thumbs-up from a majority of players,except a couple who have had to bear the brunt of his bluntness.

After the heart breaking semi-final loss at Guangzhou,the path to the 2012 Olympics has become arduous and that means the uncertainty around the national team needs to end at the earliest. In days to come,India is expected to again go out shopping for a coach and they are likely to pick a foreigner once again. And like in the past,hopes about a magical transformation will once again be raised after a new appointment. But can a coach make a big difference to the game in the country? Or does Indian hockey need a fine-tuned system where the responsibility and accountability is shared by all stake-holders,who work for a common goal? It’s a no-brainer,keeping in mind the ad-hocism that has defined Indian hockey,the changing coach doesn’t mean change of fortune.

Administrative support
Brasa,India’s third foreign coach in the last six years,on his arrival in India was a ray of hope as his predecessor,the controversial German Gerhard Rach,was unable to garner the trust and confidence of either the administration or the players. Earlier,Australian coaching legend Ric Charlesworth,imposed on Indian hockey by the International Hockey Federation (FIH),spent almost the entirety of his 10 months making a blueprint to develop the game at the grassroots. Like his patience with the Indian officialdom,his tenure proved to be too short to make a difference.

Brasa,in stark contrast,not only managed to extract a written contract but also a fixed tenure and a lot more freedom to work than the other two. But all three left the country as disillusioned men. “It’s not about foreign coaches only,a complete change in mindset is required,” says Jagbir Singh,director of planning in Hockey India before the entire system got messed up. “Of course,when a foreign coach comes in,there are both expectations and challenges,but he is not completely responsible for bad results; nor can he be completely absolved. There are many other factors at work in a successful team,” he adds.

According to Jagbir,the success rate of a coach can increase if he gets support from players and officials. “For one,the players need to be more open and receptive to new ideas. On his part,the coach must also be able to communicate clearly what he wants to the players. The administration has to be completely honest and transparent. They must make clear what cannot be provided and what the coach can expect,and put it down in writing. Let the person taking charge know what he is getting into,” says Jagbir.

Fighting an attitude
That,however,isn’t how Indian hockey works,irrespective of who’s in charge. During the Asia Cup last year,Brasa had made an observation: “The team jersey weighs almost 2 kgs extra by half-time because of sweat. The Chinese,in comparison,wear shirts that breathe and allow them to run freely.” Just for the record,even during the recent Asiad,the Indian jerseys didn’t breathe.

Brasa has been fighting for that ever since. After waiting for almost a year,he got the GPS monitors a week before the Asian Games. He wanted Test matches with top teams; the Indians did not play a single practice match in the build-up to any of the three major tournaments they played this year. He requested for early camps to help the side get used to the new turf ahead of the World Cup; the federation and SAI continued with camps in Pune.

During the World Cup in March,sharing a platform as chief coach and captain,Brasa and Rajpal Singh spoke in different voices on the need and role of a sports psychologist. Hockey India secretary general Narendra Batra added his voice,calling Brasa an “average and ordinary coach” who was of no help any more to this team. And very recently,when Rajpal came out with his allegations of “mental torture” and “humiliation.”

If,despite this,the team ends up winning two medals in major events – one of them (CWG) where they never had before – shouldn’t Brasa be retained? Harendra Singh,India coach for the entire duration that Brasa has been here,is non-committal. “I won’t say keep him or don’t keep him. But I do feel that any foreign coach who comes in must be aware of the cultural and socio-economic differences between his country and India,accept the differences and work accordingly,” he says,without really taking Brasa’s name. “For example,in cricket,Gary Kirsten has worked within the system and produced results; Greg Chappell was high-profile,he came with a lot of expectations but ended in a disaster,” he says.

Viren Rasquinha,former India captain and current COO of Olympic Gold Quest,a non-profit organisation working to bring sporting glory to India,feels the administration has to turn professional. “No one person can be blamed. But it’s true that the administration needs much more efficiency and professionalism,” Rasquinha says. As for Brasa’s continuation,he feels only the players have a right to comment,since they are the only ones who have worked with him.

Players’ opinion
Which brings into focus the one voice that has never been heard while deciding the fate of Indian hockey – that of the players. And while no one is willing to go on record on the issue,there is no denying the fact that,except for a couple of dissident notes,the players are unanimous in their disappointment.

Most of the players have,over the period Brasa has been in charge,appreciated his inputs,the most important being his impartiality in selections. “He has no one to favour here; he could have easily allowed preferred players in the team and kept quiet,toeing the federation line to prolong his stay,” is the majority voice.

So did he divide the team,as Batra claims,or humiliate players,as Rajpal alleges? “He is a players’ coach,he never did such a thing,” says one anonymous senior. Players’ voices have never held much force in Indian hockey. In case the decision-makers make an exception this time,Brasa will get another chance to work his way.

Tracing the tenure
Pros
Exposure:The Indian team never had as many games as in the past one year. Though,the federation has claimed credit for the increased number of matches played,Brasa is equally responsible for ensuring that the Indian team played about 60 matches in his time,including major tournaments. Even that were too few,felt Brasa,since the big tournaments don’t count as exposure.

Player confidence:Indian or foreign,coaches in Indian hockey have rarely enjoyed players’ confidence. The last one to command that,to some extent,was Rajinder Singh,and that was only after he won the junior World Cup and produced a string of wins through 2003. To his credit,Brasa has not only tried and managed in understanding their problems,he has also managed to elicit enough confidence for a majority willing to give him an extended tenure.

Results:The cynics may point out the opposition and the lack of yellow metal under Brasa,but the numbers do reveal something – if not everything. In his time,India have won 31 matches,lost 18 and drawn 9. That includes a first-ever medal at the CWG (silver) and a bronze at the Asiad after finishing fifth in 2006. An 8th place finish at the World Cup was also,as a matter of fact,India’s best finish in 12 years.

Equipments:He may have cried hoarse for advanced technology but by the time he actually bid farewell,Brasa had managed to get GPS monitors,an advanced software to track player performance real time and a high-definition video camera for the team. That is more than what most Indian coaches can dream of.

CONS
Sandeep’s sacking:This was before the Champions Challenge last year,and the first time he came up against the system. Brasa had indicated a change of captain and it did not go well with Sandeep,who skipped selection citing a back injury. The ad-hoc committee of Hockey India claimed the coach had no right to announce the captain,named Sandeep as leader,who miraculously recovered within a day. Brasa stuck to his guns and gave the captain’s band to Rajpal.

Confrontations:His biggest mistake was to take on too many agencies,simultaneously. He antagonised the federation by demanding more facilities,he angered SAI by claiming poor arrangements and bad food,and also got the Ministry worked up. That was one too many enemies.

Players’ strike:Brasa wasn’t exactly involved in the controversy when all 40 probables went on strike demanding promised payment,but it did have a bearing on his future dealings with the team. That was the time Rajpal fell out of favour with the players and Brasa. Rajpal continued as captain due to his proximity to the federation,Brasa opposed but was overruled.

Anonymous mails:Leaking information and sending anonymous mails became common in Brasa’s tenure. The Spaniard’s alleged doublespeak in selection matters were sent out to the media,further widening the gap between Brasa and the federation.

Rajpal’s humiliation:Immediately after Guangzhou,Rajpal quit captaincy,claiming he had been humiliated and mentally tortured by Brasa since the World Cup. His team mates rejected the allegation,while the coach said he is surprised and hurt by the remarks.