Football can, quite often, be a game of chance. So it is not uncommon to see coaches all over the world looking up to the skies in jubilation or despair. But it now appears that the coach of the Indian football team, Igor Štimac, has been looking up to the stars for guidance. There are reports that suggest that during the crucial qualifiers for the Asian Cup, Mr Štimac not only picked his team on the basis of the advice dished out by an astrologer but also sent him details of the players. Responding to the controversy, Mr Štimac has reiterated his commitment to the cause of Indian football. That may well be the case but his modus operandi, apart from his troubling faith in the stars, raises some pertinent questions. The first issue, quite naturally, relates to the principle of merit. A team chosen allegedly on the advice of an astrologer who, incidentally, received payment for his services, cannot do justice to the parameters of excellence. The other, equally relevant, issue pertains to propriety. Leaking confidential details of players on the part of the coach is a violation of propriety and his integrity. These breaches must be looked into and acted upon.

But then, Mr Štimac may only have been following the adage of doing what the proverbial Romans do in Rome. Astrology retains its niche in India’s social and political life even in the 21st century. In spite of all the talk of India’s formidable scientific temper — the rhetoric has gathered pace since the nation’s inspiring success in its lunar mission — there have been discouraging examples of institutional figures embracing irrationality. Recently, the director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi stated that the natural calamities facing Himachal Pradesh can be attributed to the ritual of meat-eating. This perhaps is to be expected in a country whose tallest leader — the prime minister — has been known to spout mumbo-jumbo occasionally. India’s rationalists, it must be noted, have also been on the receiving end of intimidation — some have been murdered with Hindutva’s political ascendancy in the country. Articles of faith must be respected. But faith-based science and the resultant encroachment of unreason on scientific enterprises can lead to a dangerous erosion of objectivity. That would have dire implications for not only India’s scientific endeavours but also its democratic ethos.