What’s the story?
In a stunning revelation, the FIH has confirmed that Hockey India will not participate in the much-anticipated Hockey Pro League, scheduled to begin early next year.
In an official statement, the Hockey governing body affirmed, “The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has received confirmation from Hockey India that they have withdrawn from the Hockey Pro League. Whilst we regret Hockey India’s decision not to be involved in this exciting new global League, we have replacement teams available following an application process which was oversubscribed.”
In case you didn’t know…
The Hockey Pro League is all set for its inaugural season in January 2019 and was to include nine of the best International Hockey playing nations pitted against each other to bring more eyes to the sport and promote it worldwide. The exciting new competition saw much support from most nations but Hockey India’s withdrawal will be considered a major blow to the fledgeling Hockey event.
The league is to include men’s and women’s teams constituting nine best Hockey nations including the likes of Germany, Netherlands, Great Britain and the USA.
The heart of the matter
The withdrawal of Hockey India comes after a supposed mismatch of ideals between the FIH and India’s premier Hockey governing body. Reports of complaints from Hockey India emerged before the scheduled deadline for deciding India’s fate in the upcoming league. Serious accusations of match-fixing were among those levelled by Hockey India. FIH, however, have officially rubbished all rumours of the same in an official statement on their website.
While India’s inclusion was earlier all but confirmed, other off-field matters appear to have played into the mix and ended up in a seemingly ugly spat between the two governing bodies. India’s withdrawal will mean that the League will miss out on a large television audience as well as lose out on sales from the area.
What’s next?
The Indian Hockey scene has been embroiled in controversy as of late with off-field incidents taking the forefront. India’s recent use of black armbands against Pakistan in a supposed show of solidarity was apparently not sanctioned by the FIH and the same was widely criticised by the governing body of Hockey. With India nowhere near the FIH good books, this situation has snowballed into an ugly situation which doesn’t end well for anyone.
Author’s take
While India continues to make strides in other sports, Hockey continues to be in the background with unnecessary incidents such as these spoiling the reputation of a nation that has loved the sport dearly since its inception in India. A mature decision needs to be made and the right people put in charge so that such instances are avoided and fans can see their country represented at huge International events such as the Hockey Pro League.
Also read: Need of the hour is an aggressive coach, says hockey expert Mukul Pandey
