No FIH reply to IHF’s 2010 legal notice
SS Shreekumar
Express News Service
BANGALORE: The reasons for the International Hockey Federation (FIH) making all efforts to keep the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) at bay and embrace Hockey India (HI) are now clear.
The IHF had dashed off a legal notice to the FIH for breach of the November 6, 2007 MoU signed between the IHF and the FIH to organise the WC in 2010 and has claimed damages to the extent of `10 crore from the FIH.
The legal notice, dated April 19, 2010 is yet to get a legal response from the FIH. The FIH secretary Peter L Cohen acknowledged the notice with a letter on May 4, 2010. “It is impossible to reply within the time frame you have specified,” Cohen wrote. The FIH has still not been able to send a reply.
The notice points out to the MoU the FIH and IHF entered into on Nov 6, 2007, for conduct of WC in India as a joint venture. MoU says that the managing entity is entitled to all revenue except that from the title-sponsors as FIH retains all rights to it.
Clause 15.4, states that if the FIH terminates the MoU, it may in its sole and absolute discretion (i) cancel the event (ii) reassign the organisation and conduct of the WC to any of “its members” on the terms and conditions as determined by the FIH. The notice claims that the Nov 6, 2007 MoU is still subsisting.
Meanwhile, the FIH entered into an agreement with the IOA and an agency called Commune Marketing and Events Pvt Ltd to conduct the WC without the consent of the IHF and without terminating the MoU.