World hockey chief asks India to speed up work
5 May 2009,

NEW DELHI: International Hockey Federation (FIH) president Leandro Negre on Tuesday said he would like India’s ad-hoc committee to move ‘little fa
ster’ with the process of putting up a unified federation before next year’s hockey World Cup.

Negre, in his first visit to India last month had said that the World Cup would be moved out of India if the ad-hoc committee could not meet the guidelines of forming Hockey India before the event slated for March 7-20.

The ad-hoc committee set-up by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is running the sport in the country after superseding the KPS. Gill-led Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) following a bribery scandal.

“This is my second visit to India. I had meeting with the ad-hoc committee and took stock of their preparation for the World Cup. Our immediate concern is that there should be a national federation in place before the World Cup. Things could have gone a little faster because there is little time left and they have to amalgamate both the men’s and women’s unit,” Negre said on the sidelines of his visit at the National Stadium, which will host the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

Negre, a former Spanish international, was accompanied by Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president Suresh Kalmadi, who is also the chairman of the ad-hoc committee, and India’s newly-appointed Spanish coach Jose Brasa.

Negre said: “I am very happy with the progress of the work here at the stadium. They are coming up with a world class stadium and we are looking forward to have the World Cup here.”

IOA president Kalmadi said “they would soon hold elections” for Hockey India.

Negre also said none of the countries have expressed any security apprehensions of playing in India, especially after Australia’s pull-out from the Davis Cup tie in Chennai.

“No country has so far expressed any security fear and I am hopeful that there should not be any problem,” he said.