‘FIH was paid Rs. 7.5 crore’

K.P.S. Gill, advisor to the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), said here on Wednesday that a sum of Rs. 7.5 crore was spent on title sponsorship money to host the men’s World Cup hockey championship in New Delhi from February 28 to March 13, 2010.

The money was Rs. 5 crore more than the agreement between the IHF (then headed by Gill) and the FIH. He also said that the championship was run by ‘Organising Committee Hero Honda FIH World Cup Hockey 2010′, a body registered under the society’s act.

At a press conference here before the final of the under-17 National championship, Gill said: “My sources told me that it was a private registered society called the Organising Committee Hero Honda FIH World Cup Hockey 2010 which conducted the World Cup. When I tried to get more details I was told that the society is not covered by the Right to Information Act (India).

“Then on March 1, 2010 there was a meeting attended by Injeti Srinivas (Jt. Secretary, Sports), Sindhushree Khullar Director General, Sports Authority of India, Deepika Kachhal Director (Sports), Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Narinder Batra, R.K. Shetty (President, IHF) and I.

FILING FIR

“Batra said at the meeting that Rs.7.5 crore was paid as title sponsorship fee to the FIH. You have to ask the society, Organising Committee Hero Honda FIH World Cup Hockey 2010, as to whether the money was paid to the FIH. But where is the society now? I am filing an FIR,” Gill said.

Gill said that the IHF was willing to go beyond half-way to thrash out the issues facing the hockey fraternity in India. “The IOA suspended the IHF after alleging that Jyoti Kumaran (former IHF Secretary) took Rs.2 lakh bribe for allotting a tournament. Now I think the IOA should suspend itself.

“We all know where the former IOA President is now. Recently an FIH official requested the IHF to withdraw the case against IOA; I replied that I would do so only after the FIH lifts the suspension on IHF.”

In May 2010 the Delhi High Court termed the suspension and de-recognition of the IHF as illegal and restored it to the position it held in 2008. Three days ago a Delhi High Court opinion went in favour of the IHF when it dismissed a petition filed by Premier Hockey Development Pvt. Ltd., an ESPN Star Sports company, after the IHF decided to sign an agreement with Nimbus Sports for a World Series Hockey league.

“Just before this press conference I received a call from a sports ministry official for a meeting. Maybe we can thrash out all issues. As K.P.S. Gill said we are ready to go beyond half-way, but there’s no question of surrender. The IHF has been headed by eminent persons like Naval Tata, Ashwani Kumar, Sam Manekshaw and K.P.S. Gill. It was under it that India won eight gold medals at the Olympics,” said Shetty.