WITH just over a month to go for the high- profile Hockey India elections, several state units are still dissatisfied as they are yet to get affiliation.
“ We have only heard about the merger process according to which Mumbai, Maharashtra and Vidarbha have to merge as one unit,” Joaquim Caravalho of Mumbai Hockey Association told MAIL TODAY on Tuesday.
It is well known that after the Indian Hockey Federation closed shop last year and Hockey India was given provisional recognition by the sports ministry and the International Hockey Federation ( FIH), elections had to be held.
In fact, last month, Hockey India wanted to hold elections in Srinagar, but they had to be put off after the sports ministry intervened.
“ The situation is not very different now. So many units are yet to get affiliation and asking us to merge with Maharashtra and Vidharbha is not possible,” said Caravalho.
“ Our association is registered under the Companies Act and we run our own league successfully. Mumbai has produced so many Olympians and we have over a 1,000 clubs registered with us. So for Hockey India to tell us to merge is not possible. We also will not accept Hockey India’s directive that we join them at par with an institutional unit without voting rights,” said Caravalho.
In fact, the Mumbai, Maharashtra and Vidharbha associations are going to address a joint press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday to make their position clear.
Some of the prominent units which have not yet been given affiliation include Punjab, Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bhopal and Hyderabad.
“ These units have promoted hockey at all levels and are not being cared for. In sharp contrast, new units like Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar, Mizoram and Uttarakhand have been given affiliation.
This is funny,” added a former India player as “ none of these states have ever produced a player.” As per the directive given by Hockey India, only one body from each state unit can be affiliated. “ States with more than one body have to merge and it will be finally decided by the state Olympic association,” said a Hockey India official.
But some former players and officials who were part of the IHF say this is ridiculous.
“ Since when did state Olympic associations assume such power? There are so many sports federations at the state level and never have they had to go to state Olympic associations for such purposes,” said a source.
The grapevine has it that Indian Olympic Association president Sruesh Kalmadi is keen on becoming president of Hockey India, though it is not clear which state unit will nominate him.
Then again, if Kalmadi becomes president, the post of secretary will have to possibly go to a woman, since the men’s and women’s hockey federations in India are supposed to have merged. It is being speculated that Amrit Bose is a frontrunner for the position, though the name of Vidya Stokes is also doing the rounds. Narendra Batra is another possible candidate while Mohammed Aslam Khan was thrown out unceremoniously by the coterie.
There is more to it than meets the eye regarding Punjab and Tamil Nadu not being given affiliation.
The men’s and women’s hockey associations in Punjab and Pepsu have merged under the banner of Punjab Hockey.
But insiders say Hockey India is apprehensive because Sukhbir Singh Badal could be a presidential candidate. And being the Punjab deputy chief minister, he could do a lot for hockey.
As regards Tamil Nadu, the state Olympic association has not conducted the merger process and wants to put an ad hoc body in place. There, too, the fear is that K. Jothikumaran, who was secretary of the IHF, may jump into the election fray. K. Murugan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Olympic Association, is being asked to block Jothikumaran.
The Hockey India elections have given rise to more controversies rather than addressing the real issues. How the sports ministry now deals with this will be watched with keen interest by genuine hockey lovers.