The Telegraph
OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi: Lucknow-based Sahara India, currently locked in a legal battle over the sponsorship of the national teams with the newly-formed Hockey India, has now called for the intervention of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to resolve the impasse.

In a letter to the FIH president Leandro Negre on Saturday, a copy of which is available with The Telegraph, the company described Hockey India officials a bunch of “unprofessional office bearers”, whose only aim was to victimise the sponsors, “illegally or otherwise”.

Negre is due in the capital to hold discussions on the World Cup.

The letter is an obvious attempt by Sahara India to put pressure on Hockey India in order to clinch a deal before the World Cup in March next year.

Sahara India had entered into an agreement with the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) in 2003 for the sponsorship of the national hockey teams, at both the senior and the junior levels.

But after the IHF’s suspension, the Indian Olympic Association’s ad hoc committee for hockey and Hockey India have both said they are unaware of the contract.