| Million Dollar Players!
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Chennai
September 5, 2007
By Sundeep Misra
Incentives to play hockey for India are increasing at such a pace that in a matter of months, millions will start playing the sport, ultimately making the lives of national coaches, federation officials, sub-junior and juniors coaches and above all, the parents a pleasurable mess. Kids are going to line up outside school principal offices, college principal offices and also the sports ministry demanding more and more astro-turfs. In a matter of years, probably a couple of years, India would beat Holland, at least for the time being in the number of turfs in the country; beating the Dutch in hockey would come sooner or later.
The IHF president, KPS Gill and his ‘honorary’ secretary Jothikumaran, would be hounded by sponsors as millions of Indians, taking to the sport, would be a huge number for any sponsor to ignore. Gill would be go into hiding while Jothikumaran would probably take a short holiday in his ‘favourite’ country, Malaysia – unable to take any more sponsorship calls. BCCI’s 270 crores plus annual profit would be chicken feed compared to the millions of dollars that would pour into the IHF coffers. Star cricket would have to close down and in its new avatar would be Star Hockey. Stadiums like the Mayor Radhakrishnan stadium would have to expand to 60,000 to accommodate spectators as the sport would rise to unimaginable heights.
Indian hockey players would start settling in places like Monte Carlo, Monaco and some like Prabhjot Singh, Tushar Khandeker, and Ignace Tirkey would probably buy their own islands for a little peace and anonymity.
Within a couple of years, India would begin its National League with prize money of $10 million. Star Hockey would get the rights for close to a $100 million as the world would watch the NHL the way we watch the NBA and the Premiership.
By the time we hit 2017, the news stars of Indian hockey would be a certain Tendulkar and an Abraham. Sachin’s son brought up on an overdose of hockey and million dollar fees would be the new striker creating waves while John Abraham would be seen cheering his star midfielder son at the BHA turf. Junior Abraham would have just signed on for the Mumbai Bombers for $65 million; a 3-year deal. While the deal would be in its signing stage, John would already be looking at deals after the Bombers 3-year deal is over.
The IHF sick of constantly being in the headlines would go off the press for a year. Mr. Jothikumaran, already elected ‘honorary’ secretary for life would say, “We shouldn’t hog so much of media time as other sports are floundering. I request the media to stop doing stories on hockey and concentrate on cricket, football, tennis. Cricket is in danger of being extinct and as a gesture of goodwill, we are giving away $25 million to the ‘other sports’ kitty. We don’t want this to be a one-sport country. We are also thinking of extending help to the daughter of Leander Paes who is unable to find a sponsor to travel and play the WTA circuit.” More good news floods the IHF office as Gill supporters come in by the thousands with trucks of sweets.
In the IHF elections in Chennai, at the ultra-modern hockey facility in Egmore, Gill has been re-elected President at the ripe old age of 96.
Gill managed to stand up to acknowledge the cheers before slumping into the chair. Importantly, for TV news channels, he did smile, sending news rooms across the 50 odd news channels into a flurry of activity as they prepared 6-hour long shows called “Gill and the Hockey Revolution.’
And, finally, a word from Joaquim Carvalho, the national coach, for the last so many years, says, “It all began at Egmore in the 2007 Asia Cup. I am so happy that I was a part of it. Even today, that team remembers the great gesture by the IHF of giving the Indian team Rs 1000 for every goal scored and Rs 2000 to be deducted for every goal conceded. Only a mind like Mr Gill could think of such a brilliant idea.
Today, the hockey world has been revolutionized. It’s been an honour to have worked with a President like KPS Gill. After sharing Rs 1000, every player got an amazing amount of Rs 55…..So what if we haven’t won any World Cup or Olympic titles; we are the richest Federation in the world.”
Today, after so many years, the entire country thanks the IHF for thinking of such a brilliant scheme where the team gets Rs 1000/goal/scored. And the team is deducted Rs 2000 for every goal conceded.
| Brilliant article.
Bryan I thought I was going through a dream and dream ended soon. Ijaz Chaudhry Good article. I think that's a good idea, only thing bad in that is the amount. It should have been in US dollars and that also opposite ($2000 for each goal scored and $1000 deducted for each goal conceded). Varun |
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Archive : India Enter Semis
Yamabori scores 6
Goal Fest!
Indian hockey’s Jason Bourne?
Relief! India secure opening win
Asia Cup — a peep into the past
| Schedule |
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Final Standings :
1. India
2. S Korea
3. Malaysia
4. Japan
5. China
6. Pakistan
7. Bangladesh
8. Hong Kong
9. Sri Lanka
10. Singapore
11. Thailand
Sunday's Matches  |
|||||||
| TEAM A | TEAM B | Playoff | TIME | RESULT | |||
| S Lanka | SPore | 9/10 | 08:00 | 6-0 | |||
| Ban | HKG | 7/8 | 07:00 | 3-1 | |||
| China | Pak | 5/6 | 09:30 | 3-2 | |||
| Malaysia | Japan | 3/4 | 16:00 | 5-3 | |||
| India | S Korea | 1/2 | 18:30 | 7-2 | |||
|
Saturday's Matches |
|||||||
| TEAM A | v | TEAM B | TIME | RESULT | |||
| Singapore | v | Thailand | 08:00 | 4-0 | |||
| Pak | v | Ban | 07:00 | 10-0 | |||
| China | v | HongKong | 09:30 | 6-1 | |||
| S Korea | v | Malaysia | 17:00 | 2-1 | |||
| India | v | Japan | 19:30 | 4-1 | |||
|
SCORE TABLE |
|||||||
| POOL A | |||||||
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | PTS |
| Malaysia SF | 4 | 3 | 1 | 26 | 4 | 10 | |
| Japan SF | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 4 | 9 | |
| Pakistan | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 7 | 7 |
| Hong Kong | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 3 | |
| Singapore | 4 | 4 | 2 | 27 | 0 | ||
| POOL B | |||||||
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | PTS |
| India SF | 5 | 5 | 46 | 2 | 15 | ||
| S Korea SF | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 41 | 8 | 10 |
| China | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 6 | 10 |
| Bangladesh | 5 | 2 | 3 | 16 | 22 | 6 | |
| Sri Lanka | 5 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 46 | 3 | |
| Thailand | 5 | 5 | 1 | 67 | 0 | ||
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 A team should be ready to play anyone. Of course, more |
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