IHF rejects merger plans

The reconciliation efforts between Hockey India and Indian Hockey Federation on Friday suffered a setback with the IHF rejecting the merger proposal in its current form.

IHF’s former chief and current chief advisor K.P.S. Gill said the provisions of the merger proposal were tilted in favour of HI and his federation will agree to a unified body on its own terms.

“IHF will accept the merger proposal if it is reasonable.

In our reply to the government we have said that we want IHF to be reconstituted and HI should be merged into IHF,” Gill told reporters at a press conference here.

“In our reply we have also said that the 2-3 units which have left IHF abruptly and joined HI should come back to IHF,” he said in the presence of IHF secretary Ashok Mathur and former Indian Women’s Hockey Federation secretary Amrit Bose.

Gill’s statement came after IHF president R.K. Shetty had said that his federation has “in principle” agreed to the merger proposal.

The Ministry had proposed a merger plan between the two warring bodies and had asked both HI and IHF to furnish their views on it, while also warning of stern action against them if they fail to do so.

While HI had readily agreed to most of the ministry recommendations, the IHF on Friday said that it will accept the proposal on its own terms.

Gill said IHF will not entertain any changes made by HI in the running of the game after its suspension by the IOA in 2008.

“We don’t accept any steps taken after the suspension of IHF,” he said.