Aslam Sher Khan suggests foreign hockey coach

Bhopal Mar 29 (UNI) Former union minister and ex-hockey Olympian Aslam Sher Khan today suggested engaging a full-time foreign coach for hockey on the lines of cricket.

''It is unfortunate that the performance of India, which once distinguished itself in world hockey, is constantly worsening.

The management, not the players, is responsible. Lack of an independent selection committee has led to former IPS officers dominating the Indian Hockey Federation. They do not consider themselves answerable to India's national game,'' he told journalists here.

Recalling renowned industrialist J R D Tata's contribution to hockey, Khan pointed out that even today there was no paucity of either sponsors or finances for uplifting hockey but it was imperative that bureaucrats in the IHF comprehend their answerability and renounce a policy of highhandedness and discrimination while selecting players.

''The appointment of a foreign coach will ensure impartiality in selection and the possibility of a player working under pressure will be negligible,'' he claimed while stressing on the constitution of an independent selection committee led by a senior experienced player and adding that IHF office-bearers should together dwell on Indian hockey's status.

Alleging that only Punjab's denizens were given preference in selection, Khan admitted that the state contributed several budding and genius players but Madhya Pradesh and several other states also possessed good players who were denied opportunities to prove their worth due to highhandedness and discrimination.

''There is no dearth of hockey finances and the Centre spends crores annually on training and foreign tours,'' he claimed.

UNI AG-AC DH HT1800