Confusion turns into chaos

Indias chief coach Jose Brasa and Hockey India president A K Mattoo on Friday continued to spar with each other over the...

Indias chief coach Jose Brasa and Hockey India president A K Mattoo on Friday continued to spar with each other over the fitness,availability and leadership role of defender Sandeep Singh in the team bound for the Champions Challenge in Argentina from December 6.

A day after spending hours trying to sort out problems between Brasa an some of the senior players in the ongoing national camp here,Mattoo announced in New Delhi that Sandeep had fully recovered from his back injury and that he would be participating in both the Champions Challenge,and the World Cup in the Capital three months later.

But Brasa denied having received any such information. Ive got no word from the president about this. I dont know where he is getting his information from, he told The Indian Express. Brasa added that Sandeep had been given an injection in his spine on Wednesday evening,and the doctors would be able to confirm the extent of the injury only later on Friday. The president Mattoo is very clever because he knows the results even before the doctors, Brasa said.

When contacted in Sancheti Hospital,where he is admitted,Sandeep said his availability for the Argentina tournament could only be determined on Saturday. I have been undergoing tests all day for my back. I will get the results tomorrow and only then will I know if I am fit for the upcoming tournament. As for Mr Mattoos declaration that I am fit,I have not spoken to him yet,so I cannot say anything, he said.

On Thursday,Mattoo had also put aside the decision to name Rajpal Singh as captain due to Sandeeps injury. Coach Brasa,however,reasserted on Friday that Rajpal was now the teams skipper. Ive only been listening to what the doctors told me. As per their advice,Sandeeps injury was severe and was to miss the Champions Challenge. As of now,Rajpal is the captain, Brasa said.

Sandeep and Brasa reportedly fell out during the camp in Pune,after it was announced that the defender would no longer lead the Indian team. Both Brasa and Sandeep have so far declined to comment on the issue.

No Plan B for World Cup

New Delhi: International Hockey Federation FIH president Leandro Negre on Friday defended the decision to postpone Hockey India elections by three months,saying he was confident the World Cup,scheduled to be held in February-March 2010,would remain in India.

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Regulations state that a country must have an elected body running the sport for it to be recognised by the FIH,and to participate in the World Cup. India is a vast country. Some problems will always be there,and it needs time to merge all the states together, Negre said,just hours after signing an agreement with the Steel Authority of India SAIL to be the presenting partner for the tournament.

The FIH vice president Antonio van Ondarza visited India and informed me exactly what is happening here. When he told me that elections need to be postponed,I immediately agreed. It is very close to World Cup but we have to look at the positive side, he added.

When asked what would happen if there was no elected body was in place by the end of January,Negre said there was no Plan B. According to its constitution,Hockey India were willing to hold elections on November 19 itself. The decision to postpone elections was taken to allow maximum number of states to be a part of the process. Im confident that the elections will take place as scheduled in a transparent,democratic manner with representation from everyone. I have a lot of faith in sports minister MS Gill and he has assured me that the job will be done, Negre said. UTHRA GANESAN