Manipur in the Santosh Trophy and more
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 31 2011 -

THAT MANIPUR featured in the 2011 Santosh Trophy final is very gratifying and speaks volumes of its abilities which are always down played and stingily praised by all, which includes sports commentators and so called experts in the field.

Whatever else, Manipur which constitutes just a small fraction of the total population of India has repeatedly shown to all concerned that as far as sports is concerned Manipur is no fluke.

This we all know, but the rest of India, apart from competing sports persons, consider this as a major breach of the law of averages.

We know better, and all Manipuris stand up and applaud our prized players who featured in the Santosh Trophy Tournament, 2011. You have done us proud, and all Manipuris stand right behind you.

Manipur lost the Santosh Trophy to Bengal 2-1. It was a monumental disappointment, but in the larger scheme of things it is almost inconsequential.

However bitter be the taste of defeat, we now have to analyse why we did not win. If losing in finals is a rarity our examination would have been confined to the minimum, however, since we more often than not, lose in finals we need to introspect.

What team Manipur lacks is determined composure and the finesse to wrap up things, that is, the killer instinct. This self examination is not confined to football alone, but it covers all competitive sports we participate in. One could ask why do we lack this quality.

One humble suggestion is that we lack exposure and big time experience. We cannot take our young and talented sports stars to be responsible for this shortcoming. They did their best and followed all instructions to the T.

Our undoing lies with those old and creaky heads who decide our sports programme. These antiquated stuff live oxygenated by the success of our sports stars and then these groaning worn out gears blatantly choose to describe the successes of our sports persons as a result of their policies. And the biggest offender is undoubtedly the state government.

To start with, surprise, surprise it still has not paid the prize money promised to our sports stars who had excelled in the National Games held in Jharkhand.

We lack an imaginative sports policy, period. By a sports policy we do not mean an annual sports calendar.

We are rather considering a policy to unearth potential, train them to realise a purposeful fruition of their dreams and to let this process run on a cyclic set up. But then this needs to remove a lot of cobwebs.

For starters the fumbling blokes who constitute our sports think tank should make way for people better prepared for the present times.

There is no offence meant, it is just that these people have outlived their utility. All Manipur Sports Association, AMSA should institute a club to cater to these heroes of yesteryears, where they can come to chat and dine over a few stiff pegs and go back home nostalgia filled.

We need to set up a new think tank that comprehends the harsh and expensive reality of modern sports infrastructure. This will entail training by world class coaches with world class equipment to back up. Budding stars will have to be provided food and lodging of the very best quality.

They will have to be trained to achieve specific targets within specified time frames. This is going to cost us a leg and a limb, and many could ask is it really worth it.

Yes it is worth it, sports stars bring us clean and untainted glory, and if those in power prefer to remain in the sidelines we will have to be satisfied with producing also ran sports stars.

Its you people who need to be changed, not the sports stars. Finally to our Santosh Trophy team once again we say, well done, you have made us proud and happy.