- As you are aware, the sporting federations/associations/boards in the country are usually headed by political honchos rather than any capable administrators or office bearers is not lost on the people conversant with the happenings surrounding the scenario. The political patronage vis-à-vis sporting disciplines continues despite several efforts at reforming by no less than the Supreme Court itself struggling to usher in much-needed changes speaks volumes about the deeply entrenched malaise in the system. The moot point to ponder over here is why the Supreme Court must step in to address the issue when the executive is well positioned to correct the situation on desired lines.
PC: Pankaj Athawale
- We all know how the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was saddled with the same issue which was again restored with a semblance of accountability, transparency, and opaque administration measures under the guidelines of the SC initiatives. What about other sports federations? As reported widely, FIFA suspending the All India Football Federation (AIFF) was a terrible embarrassment but one that should not surprise anyone following AIFF’s byzantine politics. Stepping in again, the Supreme Court asked the Centre recently to ensure India doesn’t lose the right to host the ensuing U-17 Women’s World Cup in October.
- As things stand today, there is the hope of finding a solution sooner than later otherwise an even bigger embarrassment awaits Indian sports management. The suspension has already put Indian football in limbo with teams like Gokulam Kerala FC, which had travelled to Uzbekistan for the AFC Women’s Club Championship, being effectively grounded. As mentioned above, the malady is not restricted to football alone. Like the football body, both Hockey India – which could lose hosting rights to the men’s World Cup next year – and the Indian Olympic Association may also be looking at a similar fate.
PC: AFC.Com
- Note that the common thread among the three is that their management has been taken over by the court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) due to various violations of the Sports Code. Of course, the CoAs were in turn supposed to restructure the management of these bodies and reform their leadership. However, the international parent bodies of these sports federations see such top-down reforms as third-party interference, which is against their respective charters. No wonder, these incidents mirror how badly sporting governance in India is administered by the federations marred by largely unyielding political patronage.
- Mind you, most heads of sports bodies, whether politicians or otherwise, have little incentive to follow the Sports Code, which puts restrictions on the age and tenure of office bearers. This reluctance also stems from the system of patronage that sports administrators enjoy. Thus, many politicians, therefore, find it a natural second career. Creating an ecosystem with competent sports administrators would be logical but creating one is far tougher, but not impossible. Till then, ensuring our sportsperson’s participation in global events should be prioritized. We cannot hope to better our Olympic record in Paris with sports federations losing global legitimacy.
