The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Press release on Tuesday afternoon was meant to be a clarification on the wrestling selection trials. Damage control for the backlash against the decision taken by the ad-hoc panel administering the sport. But then, it did not stop at that. What it also contained was a very important paragraph that suggested that PT Usha, the IOA President, is against sending the Indian men’s football team to the Asian Games. By stating that the IOA is in agreement with the ministerial requirement of being in the top eight for a sport to become eligible for the Games, Usha has opened a can of worms.
What is interesting is that the IOA, led by Usha, had already sent the names of the footballers to the Asian Games organisers. Did she not know about the ministerial requirement then? It was the IOA that had asked the AIFF for the names of the footballers and thereafter forwarded them to the Hangzhou organizing committee. Now she is suggesting that the team need not be sent because they are ranked lower than eighth, the ministerial requirement for sending a team to the Games.
To everyone in the know, the deeper story is clear. It is a clear case of infighting within the IOA, between Usha on the one hand and Kalyan Chaubey, the Joint Secretary who also happens to be the President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), on the other. Frankly, it doesn’t matter what the issues are between them as long as the sport doesn’t suffer. But the press release is proof that it is no longer the case. Usha has targeted football because Chaubey is the AIFF President, without perhaps thinking that millions of fans are also connected to the sport. That the sport finally has momentum and needs to be encouraged. That there is a clause in the ministerial letter, which spells out why and how exceptions can be made, seems to have gone unnoticed. Usha must be aware that Chaubey, as AIFF President, is lobbying hard to send the team to China. And with mass public support behind the sport, it is difficult for her to openly go against it. What she has ended up doing is harming Indian football by targeting Chaubey for the sake of petty IOA office politics.
As an analyst and fan, I am not interested in Usha v Kalyan. For all I care, they are irrelevant. The IOA, in so many years at least, has not covered itself in glory. All it does is send the names of athletes to competitions. Even during the wrestlers’ protest, the IOA led by Usha was a disaster. She herself made a real mess of the whole thing. And now she has made another misstep.
The night India won the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru, the country was united. Football was trending on social media for days and, all of a sudden, there was genuine hope and interest in the sport. We could see light at the end of the tunnel. The Asian Games can help build on that hope. That’s all that matters. We need to send the football team to the Asian Games because it will help the sport. Help sustain the momentum and help us improve. While not taking anything away from any other sport, it is important that an exception be made on account of recent results. India has had its best run in football in the last few months. We have seen the team get better. We have seen fight and under Igor Stimac as coach, the players are motivated to turn a new leaf.
The IOA, as the nodal body, should be concerned about giving the sport a fillip. Make an exception because football deserves it. Not because Chaubey is the President. For the moment, Usha should forget about him. And any infighting. And all she needs to do is focus on being IOA President, and think of the sport of football. Do the players deserve to go? Do the millions of fans deserve to see the team play in China? Will such a step benefit the sport in the long run? The answer to all these questions is an overwhelming YES. And that’s where the matter rests.
No Usha, No Chaubey. For a change, it is about Indian sport. As one of our greatest athletes, one expected better from Usha. We expected her to rise above petty politics and give our sport a direction. So far at least, we haven’t seen any of it. She is caught up in her own web of ego and intrigue. Clarifications and press releases. Whatever else she may think, it isn’t helping the cause of Indian sport, that’s for sure.
The veiled attack on football hasn’t gone down well with the fans. For she will end up harming the players and harming the sport. It will lose momentum, and that would be a huge loss for India. It is not about Chaubey. Never was. The faster Usha realises this as IOA President, the better it will be for Indian sport.
Also Read: Why Chhetri & Co deserve a chance to play in Asian Games