FIH gives May 31 deadline for HI elections
International Hockey Federation today made it clear that India will have to complete their elections by May 31, failing which the FIH will have to consider commencing disaffiliation process under its constitution.
FIH President Leandro Negre said that India has been a very important country for the game but it cannot be run by an ad-hoc body for long and will have to establish a national body elected in a free, fair and democratic manner.
"This World Cup is a historic moment for the country. It is a success and HI should grab the opportunity to complete their election by May 31. They are now being run by an ad- hoc body but they have to have a full-fledged body elected in a clean and fair way," Negre said after announcing a hockey programme in Zambia.
"If they (HI) don't complete election by May 31 we may have to think for disaffiliation process," he added.Negre said the FIH was simply a facilitator in the affiliation process of several state units to HI and forming a single hockey body of India.
"We are just a facilitator and we have been doing that for some time. We want all the issues between Hockey India and state units sorted out amicably and fast for the good of Indian hockey," he said. "The situation in the hockey set up in India was in a mess a year back but it is better now day by day and I hope India will have a unified national hockey body soon," he said when asked what was FIH's role in the affiliation wrangles between HI and state units.
The FIH chief advised the state units who have knocked the doors of courts of law to withdraw their appeals and settle the issue with HI amicably."As far as I know five or six appeals are pending at (High Courts) and I hope the state units should withdraw them and settle the issue amicably. I think most of them will do that except in case of one unit in Bombay High Court (referring to Maharashtra)," he said.
Negre said the hockey World Cup was a financial success and all the money the FIH earns from the mega event will be ploughed back for hockey projects in India.
"I don't have the exact figures but it is going to be financially successful. We will share (the profits) with Hockey India and whatever we earn from here will be used for hockey projects in India," he said.
He also said that the newly-introduced but much criticised video referral system will continue.'It will be continued. It is good for the game. The only thing is that the players, coaches and umpires will have to get used to it. The umpires will have to be wise when to call for a video referral. They may not have to go referral all the time," he said without going to specific incidents in this World Cup.
