Mumbai: Upset over the directive from Hockey
India to merge into a single unit before seeking its
affiliation, three Maharashtra units, who were part of the
erstwhile Indian Hockey Federation, were up in arms against HI
on Wednesday.
Mumbai Hockey Association, Pune-based Maharashtra HA and
the Nagpur-based Vidarbha HA came under one umbrella today to
defy Hockey India's orders to merge into one single unit and
also threatened to take legal recourse to remain as separate
units.
"Merger of men and women bodies is welcome but merger of
three associations is uncalled for. We appeal to the Prime
Minister (Manmohan Singh), Sports Minister (M S Gill) and
Mrs Sonia Gandhi (Congress party president) to clear this mess
in hockey," said Mumbai HA spokesperson and Olympian Joaquim
Carvalho at a press conference today.
Alleging a big game was being played by Hockey India
officials, who have affiliated units with very little hockey
credentials but headed by themselves, Carvalho said the three
hockey bodies in Maharashtra "will wait for a couple of days"
before taking legal action on the issue.
"We (the three units) will not hesitate to take legal
action," he declared.
Carvalho debunked the claims of HI, temporarily headed by
Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi, that the
International Hockey Federation (FIH) wanted one unit per
state affiliated to the new pan-India body.
"Maharashtra is bigger than countries like Holland,
Germany and Spain. The merger of our three bodies would also
deprive players of jobs in institutions like the Railways. I
don't think the FIH wants a merger of all associations in one
state into one single body," he said.
Carvalho also pointed out that Mumbai HA, earlier Bombay
Hockey Association, was a founder member of the now defunct
IHF and had the distinction of having conducted the lone World
Cup tournament held in India, in 1981-82.
"We have also produced several Olympians and
internationals. How can they not give us affiliation while
affiliating states like Arunachal Pradesh, Andaman and
Nicobar, Tripura, Mizoram etc which has very little hockey
activity," he wondered.
The former national team coach said other states having
more than one unit, like Andhra and Hyderabad, Punjab and
Patiala, MP and Madhya Bharat, are also not in favour of
merging into one.
Benny Boodle of the Maharashtra HA said his association
has said no to Hockey India on merger of the three units into
one single body.
"We have told HI don't destabilise the game. There are no
such guidelines from FIH," he said.
"We are totally against this merger. This will be
detrimental to the game," he added.
PTI