No Pay No Cry Children…… Santa Claus in sleep mode says Goans Hockey to sub-junior hockey players
Goa Sub Junior players wait for TA and DA dues from Goans Hockey 15 months after event
· Who will raise their voices and fight for 12-year-old hockey players of Goa
· Who is at fault Sports Authority of Goa or Goans Hockey
· Sports Authority of Goa has sanctioned grants to the tune of over 6 lakhs according to a reply furnished on the floor of the house at the recent assembly session
For a moment, forget the TA and DA money not paid for Goan hockey coaches and their refusal to accompany the Goa state team as coaches in 2024 on account of non-payment of their TA and DA dues from 2023.
The coach’s payment is a smaller issue compared to the non-payment of the TA and DA for the sub junior team which took part in the 3th Hockey India Sub Junior Men National Championship 2023, which took place in Rourkela, Odisha from 18 - 28 May 2023.
If one goes deeper, Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) has only three coaches, out of which two of them accompanied the team as coaches for the Junior and sub junior team at the 2023 Hockey India West Zone national championship for junior boys and sub junior boys.
Lester Gurjao was coach of the sub-junior team while on the other hand, Victor Agnelo Joseph Albuquerque, accompanied the team as coach for the Goa Junior team for the 13th Hockey India Junior Men National Championship 2023 held in Rourkela, Odisha 12 - 22 Jun 2023.
The issue of ‘two Goan hockey coaches’ and their refusal to accompany the Goa state team as coaches for the West Zone national championship on account of non-payment of their TA and DA dues from 2023. was raised by Vijay Sardessai in the recently concluded assembly session.
For a moment let’s leave Vijay outbursts aside.
Let’s talk about the TA and DA for the 12- to 14-year-old Goan hockey players who represented Goa at the Sub-junior national championship for boys from 18 - 28 May 2023.
Why are the players not paid their dues?
The sports minister is on record that Sports Authority of Goa has been in principle granted approval for Rs. 6,22,200/- and the pending grants will be paid to the association.
That was revealed in a written reply furnished to a question raised on the floor of the assembly and it has been almost more than a month since the issue was discussed and debated.
Whether the amount of Rs. 6,22,200 has been released in full or part, is a question that will be best answered by the SAG officials.
If it has not been released, why the amount has not been released is another angle which needs to be probed. Is Goans Hockey account documentation in order. Is something amiss that is the reason why the funds have been held back by SAG.
Questions galore.
One thing is for sure, all the young players who have put in their signatures on paper without knowing what they have signed on are yet to receive any amount for representing the state at the national championship.
Those blank papers are part of the papers which have been submitted by Goans Hockey to SAG to claim the amount as grants for participation in the nationals.
If one goes behind the curtains then one gets to know that SAG has a strange way of dispersal of funds. No advance payments are made to the state sports associations but the registered sports association can claim funds for taking part in the nationals after submitting their bills on return from the national championship.
For the young players, especially those from South Goa places like Quepem, Paroda to name a few, it was changing three to four buses enroute to Peddem from Quepem to Margao, Margao to Panjim, Panjim to Mapusa and thereon to Peddem ground in Mapusa to attend training sessions.
Those pre-national training sessions held in Mapusa lasted for 20 days, so imagine the money the young players had to ask from their poor parents.
Yes poor parents and mind you these young children, have fire burning in their bellies, are eager and motivated to use the sports medium to do something in life and leave their imprints on the sporting front, most of them come from the economically backward communities.
Some of the young guns are those whose parents are either labourers or daily wage workers, and it is only because of the benevolence of a few people they have been able to make the trips to Peddem for practice.
The non-payment of TA and DA, the young players have no voice of theirs, if they raise their voices they will be simply kicked out of the team, no more nationals and no money too.
If one talks of justice for these kids, the managers and coaches should be fighting for these children.
But when the coaches raise their voice over TA and DA on their individual behalf, they are targeted by the politicians. So by targeting the coaches, Goans Hockey officials have shot two birds in one shot, no questions by the SAG coaches and thus there is no voice for the young players to raise the issue of the money due to them.
Smart ‘off the field stick work’ by the Goans Hockey politicians.
This is a big game played by the politicians who have been controlling the affairs of Goans Hockey in Goa for the last several years, first at Goa Women Hockey Association and now with the present body.
Forget about the demands of TA and DA for coaches and managers, do the elected representatives know that the tiny children of 12, 13, 14,15 and 17 years old have not been paid any amount in terms of TA and DA for the last two national championships.Yes the coaches have every right to turn down the assignment when their dues have not been paid to him in the previous stings as coaches.
Are the coaches not human, why should they be denied what is theirs. are they not working hard on the playfield.
Will the person casting aspersions on the coaches forgo the privileges and perks which come to them as elected representatives including the TA and DA for attending house sessions.
Time for people to group together and get justice for these young children.
Who will do it for the young innocent children coming from improvised backgrounds. Have Goans Hockey officials lost touch with humanity.
Shame on these political turncoats who will go to any extent to take everything from hockey but will not give anything back to hockey.
excellent