International Hockey Federation warns players to stay away from the World Series Hockey
The controversy regarding the World Series Hockey (WHS), a joint venture of Nimbus Sports and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF,) is once again knocking the doors of hockey players, those who have already signed agreements or are still considering doing so with
the money-spinning league.
In a recent move, International Hockey Federation (FIH) issued a warning to the hockey players, cautioning them to keep distance from the unofficial league.
FIH’s President, Leandro Negre, released a threat on Saturday, saying that players having agreements with the unofficial league will not be permitted to participate in the international tournaments.
The hockey fraternity seems divided into two parts, as players want to take part in the lucrative WSH while the world’s hockey federation is not ready to allow them to do so.
The WSH was an initiative of IHF that was derecognised by the FIH back in 2008 over corruption charges.
The WSH, that brought hope for many hockey players to resolve their financial issues, is one of the many contentions between IHF and Hockey India, the official governing body of the sport in the country.
The WSH is supposed to be an annual-based hockey league, based on the lines of the Indian Premier League, the cricket tournament that grabbed attention from all over the world.
It is important to mention here that the entire Indian team inked agreements with the unsanctioned league that will commence on December 17, 2011.
The FIH’s President clearly mentioned that any Indian hockey player, who takes part in the WSH, will not be allowed to play for the country in the international tournaments.
He underscored, “I have very high reservations about players taking part in the WSH. We have, what you call, the sanctioned and unsanctioned events. The WSH is an event that is not sanctioned by us and hence, any player participating in it will be banned
from international tournaments”.
In his view, hockey players will have to opt to either play for the national team or in the rebel league.
In the meantime, FIH’s President expressed contentment with the efforts made by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), Hockey India and the Sports Ministry of India in resolving the sport’s governing issues in the country.
Regardless of the statement by the FIH’s President, the IHF’s initiative for promoting the sport at the grass root level is still considered to be a commendable step by many.
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