Letters from the past

Gulf News looks back over the years at concerns and issues raised by readers in their letters to the newspaper. It's a retrospective that offers an insight into the community, the development of the country and the people. This week's letters are from 1983.

Ruined for all
With reference to Gulf News' report in the Sport section of May 18, 1983, it is rightly stated that "Hockey was the loser at the Sharjah Tiger's ground" as a large number of spectators, including some who had reportedly come from Abu Dhabi, were utterly disgusted and disappointed when the DNATA/Ellis Gulf team failed to respond to the referee's call to take the field against Abdullah Al Shaikh for the semi-final of the Orient Irrigation Services Tournament on Tuesday May 17.

Consequently, Abdullah Al Shaikh XI earned for themselves a walkover to the finals on Friday, where they met the winners of the second semi-final between Al Nasr and Port Rashid Authority that was played on May 18. At a time when so much publicity is being given to the promotion of hockey in the UAE, it is most unfortunate that one of the better teams in the tournament should display such indiscipline and unsporting behaviour.

This creates a situation that is not at all encouraging for the future of hockey in this part of the world. Without going into details, it is necessary to state that in any tournament there is a body that receives complaints, submissions and gives its verdict that is binding on all participants.

In this case, the tournament committee decided not to permit non-resident players to take part in the tournament and it would have been right and proper for DNATA/Ellis Gulf to accept the decision gracefully. By their action, which needs to be strongly condemned by all sport lovers, it seems what mattered most to them was to win, at all cost, instead of playing the game fairly.

In contrast, we have the sporting and disciplined behaviour of the Abdullah Al Shaikh team who were prepared to accept and abide by the verdict of the tournament committee if it thought fit to allow non-resident players to play in the semi finals. The report on May 18 that the Port Rashid Authority team may also withdraw on similar grounds is most disturbing.

Our hearts go out to the organisers of the tournament who have toiled day after day for the past six weeks or so to work out all the matches of the Round Robin League on schedule. They had very good responses from participating teams that enabled so many hockey players living and working in the UAE to take part in the tournament.

Then there were the referees who gave their time to manage the games and all this made up to provide much pleasure and recreation for the spectators who found their way to the Sharjah Tiger's ground every day.

It is the organisers of such tournaments, the referees and the players who take part who are making the real and effectual contribution for the promotion of hockey in the UAE. It is sad and painful when, towards the end, the complete success of a tournament is marred by the actions of a few unsporting persons.

It is important that the UAE Hockey Association should look into these matters and take whatever steps necessary to ensure that such persons are not given the opportunity to take the law into their own hands in the future.
From Mr K. S. Shahab Al Deen
Dubai

A disappointment
For the past few days, reports on Frederick Pittera versus Samir Fares in Gulf News has dominated the coffee break conversations in the advertising world of the UAE, which is apparently not too inclined to bail clients and associates caught in the web of unexpected recession or eager to iron out the many problems in the advertising profession.

Now that the mudslinging has reached a preposterous pitch, one must surely question the role of Gulf News, which I suppose is responsible for fanning this senseless battle of words.

intentions of Gulf News is mind-boggling, but wasting so much space in editorial columns for the benefit of a few rumour-prompted advertising buffs is something Gulf News cannot afford to do if it wishes to maintain its lead. As far as Pittera and Fares are concerned, I think their behaviour leaves much to be desired.

As professional people, they should not have chosen IAA's platform for personal vendetta. If the authorities are considering awarding a formal recognition to IAA, I think they should stop and think seriously. Better still, all the members of IAA, who have surprisingly been quite silent over the entire episode, should reprimand both the gentlemen and request their resignations.
From Mr Mohammad S. Huque
Dubai