Warning: A long diatribe about the state of Indian hockey. Jose Brasa has been appointed coach, so it is all about that issue and no more.
The spanish FIH president, Leandro Negre, came to India and made the right noises about having an elected IHF body, in place of the ad-hoc committee that has been running the affairs for over a year now, so that India could retain the WC hosting rights for 2010. Chooo--- Negre even warned India that Malaysia is on stand-by position. As usual, the dhimmedia which includes ToI, chindu etc picked up this news and posted it in a panicky mode. But behind all this goondagiri is a subtle arm-twisting maneuver that long-time followers of hickey v 2.0^TM will be keen to observe. Basically, the gandoogiri behind the stand-by threat was for "suitable" help to a fellow spaniard, Jose Brasa. While it may look like IHF and India have acquiesced and FIH has "won", at the end of the day, when the balance sheet is drawn, the FIH has just retained what it actually had won even before, in some sense.
The gandoogiri was for a speedy process and "accommodation" on the price sought by Jose {which includes an Oiropean support-cast -- bye-bye slowly but steadily and eventually to Ramandeep Singh, Clarence Lobo, Dhanraj Pillay etc., and a huge base salary}. For the bargains, look at another old report,
In response to an e-mail on Friday, Brasa listed his requirements. “The most important is technology. We need new apparatus to work in a modern and scientific way, including a radar, photo electrical cells, encoders, GPS, video cameras, video software analysis, heart rate measuring equipment etc,” Brasa said. “I have asked for a staff of 14 people, bringing two with me and the rest from India. Initially I will bring only a person in charge of Human Performance. I have also been advised to bring a good physiotherapist. I have also asked for control of the national team in all aspects,” Brasa said.
The sports ministry has set a $5000 (Euro 3,800) per month for foreign coaches , but Brasa said he was told that they could go up to 7,000 Euros. “For 2009, I asked for 10,000 Euros per month {he got 8500 E in the end -- halfway between what he asked and what the GoI proposed}, but they said that they have decided a maximum of only 7,000, which I agreed to because I don’t want money to be an issue. {If money is not an issue, why did he get 8500 E in the end?! Liar and hypocrite!} “I only need enough for my family to be comfortable. I have also asked for some prizes if we win medals in official tournaments and an annual increase in my salary,” he said, adding that he was looking at a contract at least till the 2012 Olympics.
From elsewhere, JB's demands:
Brasa, sources said, has expressed his desire to accompany the team to Malaysia for the Azlan Shah Tournament, albeit as an observer. “That could be his first assignment with the national team but not as a coach. He wants to get a feel of the team before formally starting.” Sources said the government, which has more or less decided to meet Brasa’s demand for a pay package of $12,000 per month {\approx 9129 E}, is still negotiating with the Spanish coach over his other demands. Interestingly, Brasa’s demand for a Hindi tutor for the first six months of his stay in India is likely to get the government’s nod. It is also likely that the government will provide the coach with a house.
“Not all his demands are going to be accepted. He, too, will have to adjust to our requirements,” said the ad hoc committee member. Brasa, one of the most respected coach es on the international circuit, has asked for an eight-member support team for the national team. It includes a trainer, a physio, a masseur, a psychologist, a video analyst and a number of assistant coaches. Brasa will certainly have to cut down on his support staff to some extent. Also, the government may ask him to pick most of his staff from India instead of bringing them from Europe. “Brasa has also asked for a fully furnished house, school fees for his children and salaries for a servant and a maid servant. “He has also written to us saying that the coach should be paid bonus money for winning important tournaments. We are looking into these things and will intimate him shortly,” the official said.
Now that JB has been confirmed, expect the Malaysia stand-by proposal to melt away as thick and fast as it came cos the security apparatus proposed by IHF ad-hoc committee was top-notch, the progress in building stadia for WC2010 was right on the dot, the logistics were well on their way etc. In contrast to the paki "presidential" level security, what IHF has proposed is a Black cats/Z-category-level security with support from Sheila Dixit, MS Gill and Suresh Kalmadi {who speak on behalf of Delhi govt, GoI and IOA, respectively}. Very reliable information onlee.
So basically the choo-- at FIH were doing their standard rhetoric, the normal bs they peddle to every asian dork. Now that the pakis are out of the way in the sense that they cannot host a WC event for a long time, and India hosting events can only be xlated to other Asian countries, or else FIH's gandoogiri will be overt, I hope the jehadis now target the Petronas, Seoul, Beijing and Dubai, in that order onlee. Once the Dubai target is breached, the FIH can no longer pull their bs again to IHF and get away with it. Onwards, dear jehadi brothas.... I know its a matter of time for my dear jehadis to target Dubai and Petronas, but can you dear jehadi-waalon prove your manhood and target Beijing anytime at all? What an utter shame, you poorly endowed jehadis!!
Finally, for the actual report of appointment from s2h:
Ministry sends appointment letter to Jose Brasa (4/9/2009)
Finally, the right thing has happened. India will have a foreign coach, and this time it is real. And it is not for six months -- as happened with Ric Charlesworth's case -- almost two years, extendable to 2012. Former Spain coach Jose Brasa has been sent the much awaited appointment letter from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, government of India, through its executive arm, Sports Authority of India. Spaniard Brasa has been given tenure upto Commonwealth Games, which can be extended to two more years with mutual consent, ie, upto 2012 Olympics.
He will be paid Euro 8500 per month.
It is expected Jose Brasa will come to India in two weeks time, and this informed is yet to be confirmed. Jose Brasa is a former Spain's chief coach for women's national team, and
has been happily looking after stadia administrative jobs at the Sports Complex (Club de Polo) in Madrid till the Lady Luck smiled on him with the election of Leandro Negre to the FIH president post. The adhoc committee, looking after the Indian hockey affairs, needs a pat on the back and with this they have somewhat consoled the way they (mis)handled the issue of untimely exit of Ric Charlesworth from India.
It is expected that Brasa will come anytime, as all his personal requirements have been met. It remains to be seen, however, will he get all the foreign support staff or not. It is worthwhile to note that India did not make a global invitation, but selected him on the basis of his presentation to Indian govt officials. Therefore it cannot said the best available talent was selected, however, even this import is considered far better than what we have right now in India
. {Unfortunately, dear Arumugam, the price of the pudding is in the eating. Better than Harendra Singh, MK Kaushik, Clarence Lobo and AK Bansal, please please I can surely believe this bs.} To that extent, welcome Brasa.
The funny part is IHF is throwing away experienced folks like AK Bansal, Harendra Singh and IWHF is playing games without lending MK Kaushik, and a guy running administrative matters is chief coach of the Indian team. If he was so bloody great, why has he not been hired by his own mens team? And why did his name get prominence only after Negre, a fellow spaniard, took office?! For that, one has to understand Bob Davidzon and the old FIH president, Breda van whats_her_name, "Project Indian hickey: Vision 2020" document. RicC was version 1.0 foisted upon us. Before RicC came, a drunkard by the name Gerhard Rach was foisted upon us. Gerhard Rach was so disastrous that he would put school hockey coaches to shame. Whats worse is Gerhard Rach is now the Bangladesh hockey coach, and its amazing how much an Oiropean doofus can get ahead.
From an old report,
Brasa has had a series of meetings Thursday-Friday wherein the thrust of his briefings was that the Indian players must gain in physical strength if they have to perform consistently at the top international level. Their problem, he insists, is that they do not last the full 70 minutes, resulting in conceding goals in the closing minutes of the game. "The players must undergo periodical medical check-ups to ascertain among other things their lung capacity and the endurance levels of a rigorous fitness regimen."
I can foresee Brasa making the Indian players run day-in, day-out in the name of gaining fitness. I have super-mixed feelings about this approach. One highly-likely possibility is that whatever progress India has made so far following the santiago debacle {when FIH pulled some more choo--- by warning the till-then deftly-playing Prabhjot Singh for "non-sportsmanlike" conduct at 10:30 PM the day before the Ind-Eng decider final} is going to go down the toilet. I hope Indian hockey stays in one piece, but unfortunately, all the furrin coaches we have had in hockey so far have all been Greg Chappel-lites, with the worst of the lot being RicC. Very talkative, very boisterous, very arrogant, very confident in the running game with little understanding of the Indian brand of hockey which is more skill, more field-goals, more flair, and inept in handling and understanding what runs an Indian team.
Curiously, Brasa like the previous overseas coach from Australia, Ric Charlesworth, has coached his national women's team to an Olympic gold medal, in 1992 at Barcelona. The ad hoc committee members seem to have been bowled over by the Spaniard's knowledge of India and its culture, besides stressing on the areas the officials need to focus on. He has also given them a blueprint for the development of the game in the country.
But this is EXACTLY what was said about RicC, when he was peddled by the media. This is like de javu all over again.
Harendra Singh and AK Bansal were not bad choices, the ad-hoc committee in its desperate need to keep the WC 2010 in India is making a long-term compromise by bringing someone out of the blue because FIH has forced IHF to take up some arbit spaniard. I will put my trust on the altruistic God and hope that either Jose Brasa and his running schemes complement the Indian brand and he succeeds magically, or he leaves asap, or IHF grows balls and chucks him out once 2010 WC is done, or the players revolt, or JB gets a heart attack and dies. Sorry, but fck the free world.
Repartee: Even after 25 pages of searching on google, I cant find anything about Jose Brasa's stint with the spanish women's team, apart from what the Indian outlets report, which is essentially a glowing version, but with no evidence whatsoever. That plus, skepticism from Ajitpal Singh, Aslam Sher Khan, Sandeep Singh and to some measure, by KPS Gill and MK Kaushik, makes me feel really really spooky. The collective wisdom of all these people is no match for JB or his padre. Jai ho or not, my fingers are crossed..... Dang, why does Indian hockey alone go one step forward and two back?!
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.................just amazing .......the dedication.
