Confederation Exists in Malaysia, why not in India?

Hockey India Mess: Is FIH the Cultprit Series? Part I

At Kuantan in Malaysia last month, Abdullah Al Haj Ibni Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah, the prince of Pahang State, presented the Asia Cup to Korean men. Six months ago, Raja Puan Sri Noora Ashikin, queen of Seremban State, also in Malaysia, gave away the winners trophy to Korean girls at the end of Women’s Junior Asia Cup.

No surprise in princes and queens being the dignitaries, giving away trophies in Malaysia. Except that it assumes significance in India now because of the independent bodies these royals head. The former is president of Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) while the latter is the president of MWHA (Malaysia Women’s Hockey Association). Both MHF and MWHA come under Malaysia Hockey Confederation (MHC), which secured co-host rights for last month’s Junior World Cup.

Secretaries of MHF and MWHA are ex-officio of Secretary and Joint Secretary of MHC. This is how Malaysian hockey functions now, and will do in future as well. All these three bodies – MHF, MWHA, MHF – have separate logos (see above) and office bearers, which prominently figure in their official stationary, match sheets and souvenir publications (see pic below).

The MHC is nothing but Malaysian counterpart of our own IHC (Indian Hockey Confederation) under which both Indian Hockey Federation and Indian Women’s Hockey Federation interacted with the global body FIH till recently.

Now the question is, when Malaysia, which is itching to host the 2010 World Cup allotted to India, can have a Confederation, why not India?

This writer was surprised to find out during the Asia Cup in Malaysia that the FIH set no pre-condition like merger to MHC before giving them Plan B status (that is Malaysia standbye in case the World Cup to be shifted from India). “No question of merging, it is impossible here”, was the constant reply I got from the functionaries of the MHF.

See the pictures of visiting card of Secretaries of Malaysian Hockey Federation and Singapore Hockey Federation.

In Singapore, the Singapore Hockey Federation and Hockey Singapore co-exist as SHF Secretary’s and other officials’ card show. SHF uses Singapore Hockey as a brand while the organization remains the same as it was in the beginning.
Malaysia can have Confederation and Federation and no question was asked on unified body. We don’t know why different standard for two countries in the same continent?
Remember Malaysia organized the 2002 world Cup and then recently the co-hosted Junior World Cup under the MHC banner.

The different yardstick by the FIH for India in the question of existing set up Confederation could well be whimsical or induced. We don’t know the truth.
Indian Hockey Confederation has been functioning almost 10 years starting from early 2000. The FIH even allotted both Champions Trophy and Champions Challenge (Women) to IHC.

For long ten years, the IHC functioned after the FIH approved and accorded sanction to its constitution.

Then why all of a sudden so much importance to a vexed issue?

I strongly feel the FIH has to do lot of explanation

Strictly speaking visiting Leondro Negre, the FIH President, declared in April that the elected body is the pre-condition for the 2010 World Cup to stay in India. He set six months deadline. To a pointed querry he replied, “Merger is desirable, but election is must’. This conforms with FIH’s line of approach with Malaysia as well.

Then how the Indian Olympic Association would like us to believe FIH is forcing its hand to form Hockey India within 15 days? What happened between April and May, what is then the meaning of October deadline set by the FIH president himself before the national media?

Let us see this in the next dispatch

PICTURE CAPTIONS

A part of the latest Asian Hockey Federation newsletter, showing presidents of Malaysian Hockey Federation and Malaysian Women Hockey Association

Logos of MHC, MHF and others as appeared on the cover of the Kuantan Asia Cup official Souvenir magazine.

Visiting card image of Malaysian Hockey Federation Official

Visiting card image of Singapore Hockey Federation Official