GBA to talk to players over coach issue NT Sports Reporter
Panaji, March 27The Goa Badminton Association (GBA) today reiterated that they were neither for or against any badminton coach being appointed in Panaji and that if the players had any grievance they ought to have brought it to their notice and not aired their views in the press. Mr Richard Vaz, GBA president, speaking after the executive committee this morning, stated that the association was not the competent authority to appoint a coach and that their main concern was to see that that there was a permanent coach posted in Panaji. He disclosed that the SAI coach who was at Ponda had sought his transfer from Goa and that as such there must be his replacement at Ponda so that the trainees there do not suffer. Mr Vaz said that he would be talking to the players who were demanding that Mr Roshanlal Nahar's contract should not be renewed and at the same time wanted Mr Bhargava to be transferred from Ponda to Panaji. Till today, no petition has been forwarded to the association and if they have any problem, then it could be investigated, he added. Do not get us involved into any sort of politics,he asserted. Mr Vaz said that Mr Bhargava was transferred by Mr Roque Dias, SAI director (western region) and posted at Panaji but that the coach had never met him and did not even show his face during the national badminton championships held in Panaji. I don't think he is interested in working in Goa and moreover, he has been on leave most of the time,he pointed out. Meanwhile, Mr Sandeep Heble, joint secretary, Panjim Badminton Club and Evening Badminton Group stated that 30 players had signed the petition against renewal of Mr Roshanlal Nahar's appointment on contract basis after superannuation and posting of Mr Bhargava from Ponda to Panaji. Commenting on GBA's decision to invite players for a meeting, Mr Sandeep Heble said: "We have nothing to do with GBA on the issue. Our fight is with the SAG, since it is the SAG which has appointed him and are also paying his salaries on contract basis. It is not an issue between players and GBA." Mr Heble said that Mr Nahar was a SAI coach and that on his superannuation a suitable replacement was sent by SAI and that the SAG could not convert the SAI post into a SAG post as the salary was drawn from SAI. Consequently, a SAI coach needed to be replaced by another SAI coach and not a SAG coach to be brought in on contract basis and hence the reason why SAI had posted Mr Bhargava to Panaji,he stressed. Mr Heble said that it was Mr Vaz and Mr Thakur who had led the initial revolt some years ago and that they were singing a different tune now. Mr Vaz, when contacted, said that it was their personal views expressed then and not that of GBA. "Our personal views do not matter", he pointed out. Link: http://www.navhindtimes.com/articles.php?Story_ID=03286
