WC: Negre reiterates commitment to help India

Hockey Correspondent

IPOH: The FIH President, Leandro Negre, has reiterated the commitment to help India successfully host the next World Cup in New Delhi in March 2010. He is here to attend the council meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation on Saturday.

Mr. Negre described his visit to Delhi as satisfactory, while admitting that the FIH had “lot of concerns” about the project this tour.

His discussions with the officials connected with the conduct of the World Cup and visit to the venues seem to have gone off well.

However, Mr. Negre expressed concern over the inordinate delay to put in place an administrative hockey body, and hoped that the six-month time-limit set for forming Hockey India, a unit comprising both the men and women associations would be sufficient.

The FIH, he said, was expecting a monthly review report on the World Cup from IOA.

Mr. Negre also confirmed the meeting with Mr. J.B. Roy of Sahara Group and listened to the latter’s point of view for the steps to be taken to firm up a viable federation.
Getting complex

Mr. Negre agreed that the present qualification system for the major events with competitions for 18 teams in different venues was getting too complex both from the financial point of view and distance to be covered by teams.

While it is too late now to alter the pattern, he was optimistic that the newly constituted Competitions Committee would probably review it and come up with a different proposal. Personally, he was in favour of a single qualification tournament.

The FIH President also termed the award of junior World Cup to two different countries as “not wise.”

He was replying to the questions posed on having 20 teams in the fray for the event to be hosted jointly by Singapore and Malaysia in June 2009.

Acknowledging the huge contributions of Asia, Mr. Negre said “we need Asian teams to win” and added how delighted would he be to present the World Cup to India in New Delhi before a huge National and international audience.

He also revealed that India would be a hosting test four-nation tournament before the World Cup.

On the Special India Project, the FIH President was candid enough to admit that it is temporarily suspended in view of the costs involved but would reactivate it if need be.