Hockey logjam continues

M.S. Unnikrishnan

The turf war between the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Hockey India (HI) remained unresolved despite the Sports Ministry taking the initiative, following a meeting the two hockey bodies had with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) recently, to find a solution. The meeting called by the ministry on October 14 did not end the deadlock and both bodies were asked to give all their issues and discussion points, in writing.

The logjam has resulted following the International Hockey Federation’s (FIH) ultimatum to the ministry that if a single body was not formed by November 1 — the FIH wants HI to be the sole body — the country will be banned from participating in FIH-sanctioned events, including the London Olympics. The FIH had informed the ministry that it did not support the broad agreement arrived at between the IHF and HI for a working arrangement, which, it felt was against the Olympic Charter of one association for one sport.

As a follow-up to the meeting with the ministry, HI has given an 11-page reply to Shankar Lal, Under-Secretary in the ministry, on October 18. In the letter, HI secretary-general Narinder Batra wanted to know why it was derecognised in August 2010 and then recognition restored.

The ministry withdrew recognition when Vidya Stokes was elected the new president, in violation of the Government guidelines on age and tenure limits. The ministry then asked the IHF whether it accepted the guidelines and the latter replied in the affirmative.

But IHF later went to court, challenging the ministry’s authority to implement the guidelines and HI contended that it “failed to understand and wants to know why it was recognised when the IHF has given only ‘bogus’ acceptance and challenges the authority of the ministry implement the guidelines”.

Moreover, the ministry, in an affidavit filed in the Delhi High Court in February 2011, had stated, “the guidelines of 2001 are now superseded by the National Sports Development Code (NSCI) 2011”. HI also said it wanted to know whether IHF had applied for annual recognition or not, as demanded by the ministry, which had to be complied with by December 15, 2010.

“If not, then how are the they (IHF) recognised, and is the Government itself not in violation of its own NSCI 2011 or NSCI 2011 is not valid and if NSCI is not valid, then age/tenure clause is not applicable and if age tenure is not applicable, then why was HI de-recognised?” HI asked.

It also alleged that IHF had “sold the national game of hockey” to a private business house (Nimbus) for an annual payment. “Therefore, IHF is no longer in control of hockey,” stressed HI.

One of the clauses in the players’ agreement states that “you will not, at any time during the term, play hockey or otherwise participate in or promote or endorse any hockey match or event taking place in India which is not sanctioned by the IHF”. Which means that those supposed to be playing for India will be banned, as presently HI has the right to select the Indian team for international outings, including the Olympics.

So, the top Indian players will miss out the Olympic qualifiers, to be held in Delhi in February and the National camp, to be held from December 11, if they sign the contract formulated by Nimbus, which will be organising the World Hockey Series under the aegis of the IHF later this year.

HI wondered whether the Government accepted a private business house as a National Sports Federation for hockey.”Will a private business houses now decide who will play for India and whether Indian players will now require NOC from Nimbus and not their employers, who are all public sector undertakings owned by the Government of India?”

HI also wanted the ministry to clarify why it still entertained IHF as an NSF “when it has sold itself to a private business house”. HI asserted that there were only three “genuine persons of old IHF, namely K.P.S. Gill, R.K. Shetty and Dinesh Reddy”, and the rest were all bogus and imaginary people “who will always say yes to them”. HI claimed that over 90 per cent of the State unit members had shifted allegiance to HI from IHF, making the existence of IHF tenuous.