In ferment

In a very short span of time, Indian sport has moved from being discussed in terms of medals to muddles. News of the world football body, FIFA, suspending the All-India Football Federation on Tuesday has rocked one and all. With a cloud of uncertainty over India hosting the FIFA under-17 women's World Cup from October 11, sadness and dejection have spread quickly.

For a nation which has acquired the reputation of having a large collection of fans of European football rather than as a football-playing country, everyone was hoping for the under-17 event to be played in Bhubaneswar, Margao and Navi Mumbai.

Going by the recent sequence of events, it appears that FIFA will not budge. If the chance of hosting the World Cup is taken away from India, it will mean that large funds will go down the drain. This is an event which was to be held two years ago but got postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cost of hosting this event has spiralled, plus camps for the Indian team have been over-run. The worst part is that a whole set of players who were under-17 two years ago, have missed the bus.

First things first. This is not the time to point fingers at who caused the mess in the All-India Football Federation, whether it was one individual or a collective group. A national sports federation like the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) is generally an elected body. That elections have not taken place for far too long, and that Praful Patel overstayed his term to the level of being a squatter, are well-known facts.

Today, FIFA is upset with India because of 'third party interference'. The interference was unnecessary and has led to this gigantic crisis. The way forward is to please, beg and get FIFA to change its heart. And that is not easy at all.

With AIFF placed under a COA (Committee of Administrators) by the Supreme Court, one thought the process of holding the elections would speed up.

No, instead a quagmire was created and it has been now left to the Government of India to appear before the Supreme Court and say they are in talks with FIFA.

The process of holding talks/dialogues with FIFA is not easy. India may have flexed its muscles in cricket with the ICC, as the Indian cricket board (BCCI) has enormous financial power. In football, we have no such clout with FIFA. For any kind of rapprochement to take place, India will require enormous skills in diplomacy, tact and communication.

The world is waiting with bated breath for the FIFA World Cup to take place in Doha this November/December. Everyone is busy with it. So, to get FIFA to have a change of heart on India will be important from the Indian perspective.

It is not only about losing the under-17 World Cup hosting chance. India's national football teams cannot play any international fixture until the suspension is lifted. Club football is also getting hit. Blame games are of no use. Anyone and everyone who can contribute in convincing FIFA to have a change of heart must be brought on board.

FIFA issued a statement on Tuesday morning. "FIFA is assessing the next steps with regard to the tournament and will refer the matter to the Bureau of Council if and when necessary. FIFA is in constant constructive contact with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in India and is hopeful that a positive outcome to the case may still be achieved," the statement said.

One would have thought, in such times, India could have used its NOC (National Olympic Committee) to convince FIFA and also use its IOC member in India, Nita Ambani, and its honorary member in India, Raja Randhir Singh. As the Indian Olympic Association is itself now a body whose validity in the eyes of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is under scrutiny, matters have become worse.

The spate of National Sports Federations being brought under CoA (Committees of Administrators) has been reckless. One gets the impression; no attempt has been made to hold constructive talks with federations, and using courts to browbeat the NSFs has been the tactic. Starting from the IOA to hockey, table tennis and football, the list is long.

For a nation which did reasonably well at the Tokyo Olympics last year, as also in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the general impression is that Indian sport is in good health. If that be the case, then how national sports federations are being hauled over the coals.

The methods being adopted are questionable. Take the case of Hockey India. With Bhubaneswar and Rourkela slated to hold the FIH World Cup in January 2023, doubts had arisen if the event would be moved out of India. It is well known that some changes have to be made in the Hockey India constitution and elections have to take place. Delaying the process of getting the constitution in place with certain amendments should not take months. The promise is, it will be held by October 9.

The high priests from the world body (FIH) were in Odisha last week. It was reassuring to read the FIH press release where there was no threat of taking the World Cup away from India. Frankly speaking, the FIH seemed to be bending backwards to tell India it should not worry about anything.

How come we have such different situations in two sports, football and hockey? Well, India has been providing the FIH financial support, as most high-profile events have been taking place in Odisha with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik taking huge interest. It is to the credit of the Odisha state, Indian hockey has a new base, apart from the SAI Centre in Kengeri, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.

There is a big message from FIFA suspending India. First and foremost, as much as you want to bring in changes to the National Sports Code, make it in consonance with the IOC Charter

and the requirements laid down by International Sports Federations.

We have seen in the past how the Archery Association of India lurched from one crisis to another. For the process of restoration of an AAI-elected body after a new constitution was adopted, the time taken was far too much. The delay could well have been avoided, though archers did not suffer. Their interest was taken care of by the Sports Authority of India.

The time has come for all the stakeholders in Indian sports to be on the same page. Suspicion, one-upmanship, showing any kind of clout and then threatening the NSFs with a CoA is not the way to go about it. This is very much like adopting the principle of "spare the rod and spoil the child."

If Indian sport has seen success, across a whole gamut of disciplines, it has been through collective work. Undoubtedly, the government provides the financial lifeline for sport. However, when it comes to planning, hiring foreign coaches, hosting national camps and exposure tours, there has to be harmony between one and all. Sadly, that seems lacking at this point of time.

With the Asian Games in Hangzhou postponed to 2023, Indian athletes are already preparing for the next Olympic cycle. The Paris Olympics in 2024 is less than two years away. The entire focus of athletes, officials and all related people must be on sport alone, not politics.

Views expressed are personal