July 28: “The ball is now in your court. Don’t force us to take harsh steps,” said International Hockey Federation (FIH) vice-president Antonio van Ondarza as Hockey India — the ad-hoc body for the national game in the country — once again failed to hold its much-awaited elections on the day after being hit by two High Court orders.
With just three days left for the FIH’s deadline for the “provisional acceptance” of Hockey India, the day’s development have put the future of the national sport in jeopardy.
On a day of drama and confusion, Hockey India’s elections were called off after stay orders from the Mumbai and Delhi high courts, following petitions from the Mumbai Hockey Association and the government’s failure to clarify its stand on the two governing bodies — HI and the Indian Hockey Federation — respectively. The international federation sounded a carefully-worded warning, hinting that India could find itself debarred from all international tournaments if an unelected body was to continue in office. Ondarza added that the FIH might shift the 2011 Champions Trophy — the prestigious tournament involving the top-six teams — that was allotted to Delhi a week ago.
The day began with utter confusion, with the 56 eligible voters reaching the capital. But with the Mumbai high Court’s stay order, the polls were held up till 3.30 pm. A stay order from the Delhi High Court added to the chaos, leaving Hockey India with no choice but to call off the elections till further notice.
Ondarza, also the FIH observer for the polls, said: “We want hockey on the field, and not in the courts. The ball is in your court now. Don’t force us to take drastic steps. Get the ball rolling and get it real fast,” he said.
In what is a clear battle for power between Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi (read Narinder Batra and faction) and former India skipper Pargat Singh, it was learnt that attempts to work out a compromise formula were shot down by the former.
Hockey India now has time till August 9 to sort out the mess — the date for next hearing in the Delhi High Court — failing which the world body can possibly bar the women’s team from participating in the World Cup in Rosario, Argentina, beginning August 29.
Said Ondarza, “I am not the authority to decide whether India will be debarred from international events. It is a huge decision, which we are trying our best to avoid. The FIH works for the players and we do no want to harm them. It is not their fault. So I appeal to all of you (Hockey India, state units, etc.) to come together and save the game in this country,” he said.