India stripped of hosting hockey events
India were handed a four-year ban from hosting international hockey tournaments including the Champions Trophy it was due to host in December.
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) placed the sanction after the sport’s governing body did not approve of the merger between the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Hockey India (HI), two bodies running the sport in India.
The two Indian bodies announced their merger on Monday, boosting chances of the World Hockey Series (WHS) getting an official status, but the FIH, expressing reservations on the transfer of governance, has placed the ban.
According to a statement released by the FIH, the merger ‘does not comply with the FIH Statutes, which do not permit a member to transfer or share its powers to another body that is not a member of or bound by the FIH Statutes, still less to share its powers with a body [IHF] that is involved in organising an unsanctioned event [WHS], participation in which is prohibited by the FIH .’
The FIH has asked the Indian sports minister, the heads of Indian Olympic Association and the HI to hold a meeting while also deciding to strip the country of hosting rights for the next four years.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2011.
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FIH is making the same mistake that cricketing bodies made a number of years ago trying to ban Kerry Packer players. That did not stop the game moving from "governing bodies" making money at the expense of players to cricket of today with the the likes of IPL letting players share the revenues - and in the process making the game more entertaining - in other words a win win for all.
Hockey is a dying sport. Despite being such a fine and exciting sport, the fan interest is next to nothing. Even for international games there is no significant TV coverage, empty stands and an antiquated governing body - that is FIH.
The reason FIH has come out against India as a wounded tiger has nothing to do with the HI and IHF merger (mind you I am no fan of the disgraced IHF leadership); they are spiting this venom because they are afraid of WHS. Here is my question to the FIH leadership - if a player who has only 5 - 10 years to make any money, why should je or she not be allowed a chance to do so? I have no doubt, that if WHS is run as IPL, the top players in the world will rightfully line up to play in WHS and FIH can then have it's token championships with second string of players. If they were smart, FIH would find every excuse in the book to join the WHS and get it's share of the revenue by giving WHS it's name - for that is all they have. They have themselves failed to generate any meaningful interest or revenue for this game
Alhamdulilah!!
India now in same boat as PCB !!!!