Former Indian volleyball coach wants an ad hoc panel

HYDERABAD: The unofficial ban on India's participation in international fora owing to infighting in the

Volleyball Federation of India

(VFI) has affected the players big time. The Volleyball Federation of India (VFI) seems to be virtually divided into two camps, one headed by its president

Chaudhary Avadhesh Kumar

and the other by its secretary Ramavtar Jakhar. And there seems to be no quick solution either. The players are caught in the crossfire and have become unwitting victims as they are being denied an opportunity to represent the country.

Former Indian captain and Dronacharya awardee

A Ramana Rao

on Tuesday squarely blamed the VFI officials for depriving players the opportunity and appealed to the Indian government to appoint an ad hoc committee to manage the day-to-day affairs of the association.

Speaking to TOI, Ramana Rao, who was the first Indian volleyball coach to qualify as

FIVB

Instructor in 1986, said, "It has been over two years since the Indians have played in an international tournament as the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) has denied the recognition to the VFI owing to the differences between its president

Avadhesh Kumar

and secretary Ramavtar Jakhar. There seems to be no end to their fighting for oneupmanship. VFI elections were to be held in July 2017 but were put off. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the sports ministry have remained silent spectators in this matter. The sports ministry should appoint an ad hoc committee to manage the day-to-day affairs until the dispute is resolved. The Delhi high court is expected to deliver a judgement on the issue on August 30. I hope there will be a positive outcome," Ramana Rao, said.

The 72-year-old Rao, who is currently the president of the Andhra Pradesh Volleyball Association, had earlier taken the initiative to the launch the Indian Volleyball League in 2010. But due to lack of sponsors, the league was discontinued. The former head coach of the Indian men's volleyball team at the 1991 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship in Perth, is now focusing on development of the game in the state.

"The division of the state has come as a big setback for Andhra Pradesh volleyball as most of the players are based in Hyderabad. We are now focusing on developing the game from the grass-root level. As part of the strategy, we have conducted Mini Nationals in Nellore earlier this year. Hopefully, in the next few years, we will be able to build a team that is capable of competing at the national-level," he said.