Hyderabad: President of the superseded Indian Hockey Federation K P S Gill yesterday said he is not at war with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or has he stopped interacting with its officials. “If there are any issues they could be settled through a dialogue.”
Gill also refuted allegations that he is creating obstacles in the way of the ad-hoc committee’s functioning and said some members of the committee were making “nasty statements.” He said Indian hockey will suffer because of the tussle between the IHF and the IOA.
Gill, who came here to attend the meeting of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) as its vice-president, said the IHF had certain role in mind for Australian Ric Charlesworth and it was unfortunate that the IOA did not consult him on the issue. “They do not have the power to dissolve the IHF. We are registered in Chennai and the IOA is registered in Delhi. Suspension does not mean that you do not talk to us. It was (suspension) unnecessary.
“Till now they have not given us the proceedings of the meeting. If there were any problems, they could have been sorted out through discussion. Whatever is happening is not good for Indian hockey.”
“It is not a war. We are civilised people. When governments are talking to terrorists, then why cannot people just get together and talk.
“I have a very clear roadmap for Indian hockey in my mind and if anyone wants to discuss it intelligently and in a cordial manner, I am open for it.”
What transparency?
Gill also rubbished the talk of transparency by the ad-hoc committee. “Does transparency in selection process means that you have journalists around. Transparency means that the players who have been selected or rejected should know the reasons.”
“You need to have a clear idea about how do you want to change the system. Then we see what kind of professional you need for it and whether there are that kind of people in India. If there are not then you will have to see whether those you want to bring from outside fit into your environment.”
Better than pakistan
Hyderabad: Defending Champions India will have to play in today’s final against Korea as well as they did against Pakistan if they have to retain the junior Asia hockey Cup at the Gachibowli Stadium here.
India are favourites to retain the title but Korea has improved with every match and will be tough to tackle. India had beaten Korea in the eight-nation tournament in Kuala Lampur early this year.
Coach A K Bansal knows that Korea will not be easy meat and India will have to be at their best. “They are a vastly improved side since we played them in January in Kuala Lumpur. They are a very well-knit side and we will have to attack consistently to crack open their defence,” said Bansal after the team’s two-hour training at Gachibowli Stadium