Twists in the HI and IHF merger?
Today’s major media reports tell us the merger proposal of Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation is smooth and create an impression that is going to happen.
Our independent efforts in this matter point to a totally different picture.
If at all, the Indian Hockey Federation has hardened its stand.
It wants voting right for its proposed patron KPS Gill. It has categorically declined to accept the name of Hockey India, quoting IHF name has been in the vogue since 80 years.
Sources also indicate that the IHF side has initiated action to register FIR against the ‘illegal’ siphoning of Rs. 5 crores to foreign countries out of Delhi World Cup hosting rights.
It is worthwhile to remember here that the FIH signed the world cup organizing deed first with the IHF and then after it was dissolved again with the IOA.
In both declarations, the FIH announced publically the profit of the World Cup will be ploughed back to India to improve its hockey. It is a well known fact that leave along pumping the monies back, the FIH even failed to tell public openly the accounts of World Cup.
Coming back to HI and IHF merger, the latter’s logic is that while the IHF was dissolved for alleged Rs.2 lac bribe paid to their Secretary, the Rs.5 cr issues concerning the FIH and HI needs to be raked up in its true perspectives.
Though the case against alleged bribe taker, former IHF Secretary, is still in courts, those who fathered Hockey India are already in jail. The IHF sources claim that their organization was dissolved not for the failure to qualify for the Olympics, but after the alleged bribe incident hit the television screen.
This claim is chronologically correct.
The IHF sources also claim while the progenitors of Hockey India, that is the IOA boss Suresh Kalmadi and his company, are in jail, how their nominees / protegees can be acceptable to Ministry of Sports?
Besides, the IHF claims that their president has been duly elected while the Hockey India is having an interim one, after Vidhya Stokes resigned. The IHF therefore demands its president to succeed as president in the new set up.
The IHF also stated clearly in its letter to Ministry that the state units created by the Hockey India are outside the purview of IHF and IWHF, and it is untenable. Those units were prompted by the jailed Kalmadi and Co. The units for the future elections will be out of IHF and IWHF, not out of third party (the Hockey India units at the state level). This is the another strong claim of the IHF.
Sensing the fact that in future tournaments they might be sidelined, the IHF also staked its share of rights in the organizing committee of the forthcoming Champions Trophy.
Quoating logic, the IHF faction also demanded three more slots in the Executive Committee that it is allowed for HI. The Ministry’s 10-point formula allocates 16 EC members to IHF faction but 17 to HI.
“Let the papers write whatever they want, but this is our position” said a senior official of the IHF faction.
Against these developments, it is quite unlikely the merger will have a day in the near future.