IHF still adamant, merger plans on hold

With the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) holding its fort, the merger plans with Hockey Indian (HI) that the sports ministry had initiated a week back, looks highly unlikely, at least for the time being. IHF’s former supreme and now advisor KPS Gill emphasised said that the organization doesn’t want to loose its identity. “After the merger, the unified name of the national body governing hockey in the country should be IHF and not HI,” Gill said of the proposed plans on Friday, hinting that the ministry’s 10-point proposed merger plan was in HI’s favour.

Addressing the media, Gill said that the IHF would only agree to the merger if it was realistic. “We want clarification on certain issues before agreeing to the plans,” he said.

With Gill also critising HI’s functioning, saying it hasn’t yet disclosed the revenue it had generated from hosting the 2010 World Cup in Delhi last February, it only deepens the difference between the two factions of hockey in the country.

HI secretary general Narinder Batra, however, refused to comment on this issue. Batra said his federation has already given its reply to the ministry, and would not like to divulge any details at this moment. “I can’t talk on the merger plans,” was all Batra had to say.