“I will respond to these things at a later stage. We do not have an instant coffee machine that you can get results instantly. It takes time to regain your position. We have put the process in place and the results will take some time,” he said in reaction to demands for his stepping down on Monday.

Gill said he would wait for the team to return before deciding the future course of action. The IHF chief said he would have discussions with chief coach Joaquim Carvalho and the other support staff to find out the exact reasons for the debacle before making any statements.

“It is not proper to respond at this stage. We will wait for the team to return first, then we will have a clear idea what went wrong,” he said.

Asked whether the IHF had accepted Carvalho’s resignation, he quipped: “I cannot respond to media reports.”
Meanwhile, IHF vice-president Narender Batra, a bitter critic of chief KPS Gill’s “autocratic” functioning, on Monday stepped down from his post and also asked the IHF’s top brass to resign in the wake of India’s failure to qualify for the Olympics.

Batra said all the top officials should take moral responsibility for the fiasco. “I do not have words. It’s a shame. I am disappointed. I tried my best but failed. My idea was to start an initiative to revive hockey. All the federation officials should resign,” he said.

Hitting out

Training his guns at Gill, Batra alleged that coach Joaquim Carvalho’s appointment was because of the IHF’s policy to appease the Bombay Hockey Association. “I am not talking about Carvalho’s ability. But the way he was appointed,” he said.

He also alleged that coaches who were vocal were changed and Carvalho continued as he was an “yes man”.
Batra said it’s unfortunate that a security person like Suresh Sharma worked as the chief of protocol. “It’s sad that Carvalho has to report to Suresh Sharma, a security person,” he said.
Batra said the Sports Ministry was not concerned about hockey and only the government’s intervention could revive the game.