FIH lashes out at rebels
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Monday lashed out at India’s boycotting players, saying they got their priorities wrong. FIH vice-president Antonio von Ondarza, also the world body’s observer for HI elections, said staying away from training camp before an important event like World Cup was unheard of in the game’s history.
“I came to know about the players’ strike from television. I am very sad at what is happening, this shouldn’t have happened. This is completely unheard of in hockey circles,” Ondarza said. “Staying away from training is not the solution. World Cup is at the door, if they don’t train it will only affect their results.”
Meanwhile, HI president, Ashok Mattoo, announced that the elections to the body would be held on February 7. The elections, earlier scheduled on the January 29, were postponed due to affiliation complexities. “Our meeting was successful and the date of elections has been fixed keeping the 21-day notice period in mind.”
The issue of affiliation was also sorted out, albeit partially, with Punjab and Delhi being recognised. “Some states have internal problems which cannot be dealt with by HI now, but we are almost through with the process,” said Vidya Stokes, affiliation committee member.