World Cup, a Game of Snakes And Ladders

Most people reading this would be aware of the game of Snakes and Ladders. A children’s board game where you move along numbered squares from start to finish, if you land on a square with a ladder you can jump ahead, if you land on a snake you go back several spaces. How many of you knew that it is a game that originates from India? That historically it was a game that was supposed to represent the morality of life and the contrast between destiny and desire, virtue and vice or in its original form Karma and Moksha? In Jainism it is believed that ‘moksha’ is the highest and the noblest objective that a soul should strive to achieve.

On Friday the International Hockey Federation announced that venues for the 2022 Men’s and Women’s World Cups; although the traditional four year cycle is to be broken with the Men’s being hosted in January 2023.

Would the Olympics break their four year cycle? Would Rugby, Cricket or Football? Why has Hockey suddenly done that after 11 editions? The the first three editions were every two years, and there was a three year gap between the third edition and the fourth.

Looking at the decisions made in relation to the ost nations it appeared that it may best be described as an administrative game of snakes and ladders.

It was revealed that India would host the Men’s World cup for the second time in a row, and for the third world cup out of four; that means one world cup in seventeen years will have been held outside of India! While for the first time ever the Women’s World Cup would be hosted jointly, by Spain and the Netherlands, two countries 1473 kilometres (915Miles) apart as the crow flies. The Netherlands were sole hosts in 2014 and Spain were last hosts in 2006.

Both of these decisions were met with mixed reactions. Needless to say that the winners, and especially those in India were happy. There is no denying that India is the spiritual home of the game, and the crowds in India are something to behold; This writer has been fortunate to to witness these first hand as commentator and has enjoyed the experience. It should also be acknowledged that India hosted a fantastic World Cup in 2018. Yet should not such events be shared around for the long term good of the game? Should blue riband events simply go to the highest bidder?

FIFA for all of its faults, which have been played out in public over the past nine years at least rotate their tournament between its confederations.

The joint hosting of the Women’s World cup has been a hard one to comprehend for many. Had it been shared between Portugal and Spain then that may have been easier to understand, as the two countries are neighbours. Most feel that both Spain and the Netherlands could have hosted independently; certainly we know the Netherlands could have.

The format, which sees two pools playing group games in Spain, and two playing in the Netherlands is fine, but then two crossover matches and two quarter finals will be played in each country. Meaning that teams could have to travel from their pool country to play. That is unless the format is going to see possible replays of pool games in the quarter finals; something that happened in London in 2018 and everyone felt needed changing. The winners will then have to head to Spain for the semi finals and finals. This is in peak tourism season, at the start of July. Hopefully accommodation will be booked well in advance along with flights, or the price of success for some teams could be more than they bargained for!

Taking it to two countries could be seen as a ladder, but the cost and logistics could end up being a snake.

The FIH website under their strategy to take the game forward to 2024 states, “Our purpose is to raise the global status and popularity of hockey.” This is where many question the decision to return yet again to India. Is this going to grow the global status of the game?

It has been claimed that India won the hosting rights because it bid more than the other countries. If that is the case then it would indicate that the FIH’s financial woes are far worse than many imagined.

A decision such as this should not be made purely on a financial basis. If the FIH are looking to grow the game then it should be looking at having its pinnacle event hosted in a country where it will help grow the game. Where the return will be in the long term, rather than the short. There are plenty of countries who missed out on Olympic qualification, where the hosting of the World Cup would have helped re-ignite interest, and would have helped those National Associations in terms of gaining Government support and media coverage, thereby put the sport back in the limelight. This seems a very myopic decision.

More importantly and worryingly to hockey lovers across the globe it is a decision that indicates a complete lack of strategy. It shows that those entrusted with carrying the game forward and boosting its profile and popularity do not know how to sell the value of the sport. It may even indicate that they do not know the value of it, and underestimate its potential.

Who made the decision?

The Executive Board made this decision. So no doubt they would be across the financial situation, however it would have been good to hear on what grounds they reached their decision. There needs to be more transparency as to how the decision was reached and how the bids compared. In the FIH Press release CEO Thierry Weil is quoted as saying “Since the primary mission of FIH is to grow the sport worldwide – which of course requires to make investments -, the income-generation potential of each bid has played an important role in the decision.” This tends to indicate the decision was one based purely on finances rather than a long term strategy. In a nutshell, the highest bidder won. When he talks of income generation, is that again in the short term or the long term?

The FIH receives USD$15million over four years from the International Olympic Committee to promote the sport and help it grow. Imagine what could be achieved if some of that money were invested with a host nation in an area where the game has the potential to grow? Or in a country that has no team to support at the Olympic Games?

There are 136 Member nations according to the FIH website, all of these nations no doubt dream of playing in the World Cup Finals. Sure, it is unlikely that some will, but they must have an equal chance to qualify, currently they don’t; unlike FIFA. So why don’t all member nations have a vote on such decisions? They vote for the Executive Board, but why do they not have a vote on far-reaching decisions such as this?

It was announced that teams will qualify for the World Cups along the following lines. The hosts will naturally qualify automatically. Next to qualify will be the winners of the Continental Championships (5 teams). Then “the remaining 10 teams will qualify through a home-and-away play-off; the 20 teams involved in these qualifiers will be determined by Continental quotas, based on the FIH World Rankings at the end of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and the finishing positions of teams in the Continental Championships.” Why should there be Continental quotas if this is truly a World Cup where the best compete against the best?

While the home and away format is clearly a step in the right direction, a definite ladder, deciding those twenty teams appears to be extremely protectionist, clearly a snake. If the aim is to grow the game, then surely teams outside of the World Rankings have to be given the opportunity to compete for a place in the Finals? Otherwise you cannot possibly call it a “World Cup.”

The decision to take the Men’s World Cup back to India has upset many outside of India. It has nothing to do with whether India can host the event, they have proved they can. It has nothing to do with potential crowds, they have shown they will support it. It also has nothing to do with race or religion; before those cards are tossed on the table.

Players and coaches are not happy, but unfortunately are afraid to speak up. Although former England and GB Coach Bobby Crutchley said on Twitter, “Having watched a fantastic Rugby World Cup in a new country (and therefore expanding its reach), it’s depressing to hear that hockey has again chosen the same country for it’s men’s World Cup.”

If the players had a Players Union one feels that there would be far more dialogue. As one coach said, but requested their name be withheld, ‘playing in India is more challenging than anywhere else in the world. There are so many challenges that you face as a team. Apart from the heat and the playing conditions it can be debilitating, and some players take several months to recover from playing there.”

So why is the World Cup headed back to India again? It appears that it is purely for financial reasons. India has money! The FIH failed to find a sponsor for the FIH Pro League after India withdrew from the League. The FIH opted to remain with a nine team competition despite the recommendation being for seven teams, and paid a very heavy price. Now India are back in for 2020, let us see if they can attract a sponsor for the second edition. The lack of sponsorship in the past two years has been a concern for all in the game, especially at a time when the quality of the hockey is arguably at its highest, and the game has had more exposure than ever before on television. This lack of sponsorship has meant that the FIH finances have been stretched. Hence redundancies in the past few months, and cutbacks in other areas.

It is interesting to look back at the relationship between the FiH and India over the past 12 years, and it may well give an indication as to why this decision was made.

In 2010 India hosted the Hockey World Cup. This traditional Hockey Nation had failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympics, the first time that this had ever happened. The FIH then found that without India no one was prepared to buy the television rights to the Olympic tournament. The International Olympic Committee put the sport on notice and warned them that they had to grow the game and the appeal, or it could lose its Olympic place.

At that time the Indian Hockey Federation which ran the game in India was accused of corruption. In April 2008 the Indian Olympic Association suspended the body. Hockey India was then formed in 2009; the body that now runs Hockey in India. Hockey India was created by the Indian Olympic Association. So effectively there were two bodies claiming to run the sport. It was in turmoil. Despite this the FIH opted to hold the 2010 World Cup in Delhi!

The event came off with no hiccups with the help of the Indian Olympic Association. To run the tournament the FIH reportedly formed a body called FIH Hero Honda Society. It has been alleged in the Indian Press that all of the profits from that tournament were then taken back to Switzerland and none ploughed back into the game in India.

On August 6, 2010 the Indian Government through the Ministry of Sports were reported to have written to the then FIH president Leandro Negre requesting that the FIH not assign international events or have commercial dealings with Hockey India. This was because the Indian Hockey Federation had been re-instated as the National body after an Indian Court ruling.

The FIH however still threw its weight behind Hockey India, and set about organising the 2011 Champions Trophy in Delhi. This was announced in February 2011, but in September of the same year the tournament was moved to Auckland after “a Government issue” meant it could not proceed in India. This coming despite the Indian Hockey Federation and Hockey India signing an agreement in July. This agreement was intended to see a joint executive board created which would perform the function of the National Sports Federation for field hockey. In 2011 the FIH officially recognised Hockey India as the official governing body for the sport, and it became affiliated to the FIH in place of the Indian Hockey Federation which had been one of the FIH’s first non-European members back in 1928.

The FIH realised that India was crucial to its future as an Olympic Sport, as well as its own financial future. Hockey had to get back into the forefront of people’s mind in India. They invested in India. The amount has never been disclosed. After the World Cup of 2010, India then hosted the Hockey World League Finals in 2013, 2015 and 2017. They also hosted the 2014 Champions Trophy. Hosting these tournaments cemented the relationship between India and the FIH, and helped India climb the World Rankings.

The dramatic turnaround also resulted in the rise of Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra, now the President of the FIH and the Indian Olympic Association. He has been credited with the turnaround in fortunes for Indian Hockey, and was at the forefront of that development over the past ten years. From 2002 to 2008 he was a Senior Vice President of Indian Hockey Federation, before becoming the Secretary General and Treasurer of Hockey India when it was formed in 2009 up until 2010. He then became the Secretary General Hockey India in 2010, a position he held until 2014, before being voted President Hockey India 2014 until 2016 when he became President of the FIH. During this time he was also Chairman of the Hockey India League from 2012-2016, a Member of the Organising Committee of the 2010 Hockey World Cup, and Chairman of the Organising Committee of nine International Hockey tournaments in India from 2012-2015.

The Hockey India League was launched in 2013. This was a top class tournament which saw world class players playing alongside Indian players across the country. There is no doubt that this League contributed greatly to the performances of the Indian national team on the World Stage. Sadly it ended in 2017. There was talk that the League would return in 2019, albeit as a five-a-side tournament, but there have been no announcements as yet. The rumours out of India were that as expected, the fans wanted the traditional format of the game, as did the television networks.

Star Sports played a key part in the rebirth of hockey in India. They invested heavily initially in the Hockey India League, and also signed an eight-year long-term deal with the FIH in 2014, reportedly worth USD$250million. That long term deal ended prematurely in 2018. With the end of the Hockey India League and the TV station buying the IPL Cricket rights, – they paid USD$2.55 billion over the five years from 2018-2022, – and owning the Pro Kabaddi League, and being a part owner of the Indian Super League football competition, Hockey has dropped down the pecking order. Hence the reason the last deal with the FIH is believed to only be worthUSD$5million over three years. Although the word is a new deal was negotiated worth far more that includes the FIH PRO League and the upcoming World Cup. Apparently only two broadcasters from the bidding nations were prepared to put in more money if their National Association won the World Cup. Both have ended up having to honour that commitment.

Is this another indication of the financial situation the game finds itself in?

They say that if you keep going back to the same well, eventually that well will run dry, and when it does as Benjamin Franklin famously said, you ‘know the worth of water.’

Heading back to India for another world cup cannot be good for the game in the long term. It is depriving other nations of witnessing the World’s best in action live. It will deprive a generation in another country from seeing the world’s best perform during their formative years. Thierry Weill, CEO of the FIH stated at the Women’s World Cup in London in 2018 that he wanted the World cup to be the biggest event in Hockey. He wanted the FIH to own it, and therefore have no naming rights sponsors. He wanted it to be the equivalent of the FIFA World Cup. These were bold statements to make, but ones that inspired many that the game was going up a ladder, and would finally get the recognition that it deserves. With branding like that, and limited sponsorship opportunities the FIH could charge a premium, money would finally flow into the game, to be re-invested at grass roots.

A year later, announcing that the World Cup is going back to India, sadly one can’t help feeling that the FIH has slithered down a snake.