Stick2hockey has recently published an article entitled “Need for Michael Nobbs to tread middle path”. Reacting to the story, Narinder Batra, Secretary General of Hockey India, offered the following points in an one-to-one discussion on Friday.

It is easy to make me villain of the WSH, but the situation is complex; India’s long term interests need to be kept in mind.
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The FIH has made it clear they will ban players and officials who will be part of the WSH. Ok, Tomorrow I may reconsider and compromise with my players. Despite their role in WSH, Hockey India may select some of them for the Olympics or Olympic Qualifier. What will happen then? The FIH won’t allow them for these tournaments, which means India would have to play with less number of players. We are heading towards that situation.
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Players are in government service. They are governed by the Central Civil Services (conduct) Rules. They are forbidden from making profit out of service, there is a limit for them to accept money, but the contract they signed with the Nimbus for WSH is against the Code. Receiving prize money is a different thing from accepting it for doing a service (playing).
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I don’t think any government department will give No Objection Certificate for its employees to be part of WSH knowing well they will be banned from playing for the country.
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I understand the ‘dinner’ urgency of players. Am sure HI can offer good money to players once we qualify for the Olympics. Am in touch with some Corporates for this.
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I think KPS Gill and Joaquim Carvalho do not want India to qualify for the Olympics again, because its under them we missed the Olympics last time. My view is based on the fact that they could have easily held the WSH after the OQ, say in March, why before the Qualifier? The schedule is hectic, one day match in Jalandhar the other day in Chennai, the players will be drained of energy.
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If they are interested in our national team, they should hold the WSH after OQ even now. I have with me letter of Sports Authority of India and report of physio David John. I have to go by them. SAI forbids players from participating in the WSH in order to prepare the team for the OQ while John’s outlines the stages of physical fitness that will be imparted to players. My players cannot peak twice in short spell.
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It is really unfortunate youngsters like Juvraj Walmiki is taken on the contract for a paltry sum of Rs.5 lakhs. They have also taken half a dozen junior players on contract. These contracts have been signed after March, which means their career will be in jeopardy insofar as FIH rules are concerned.
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The IHF has nearly sold national sport hockey to a television company for a sum of Rs. 50 lakhs. My understanding is that hockey will be the property of the company for about six months in a year. Even there are provisions in the contract that the company will give NOC for players to play for the country! It is unacceptable.
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I do not want to make a hurried response to WSH. We are in the process of doing it in 2013. Those who play there will get international caps and this league will be respectable one. I can only say to players to wait.
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I cannot stop anybody from playing in WSH. But I will play junior team in the OQ if seniors miss out training and prefer to play in the WSH.
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Many players spoke to me and expressed the fact that they won’t take part in the WSH.

The Nimbus has five times liabilities than its worth, and faces non-payment cases in many countries. It has projected WSH on a big scale. Holding it in 8 venues needs lot of work on the ground, but I don’t see such preparations even now hardly three weeks left.
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I have my own reasons to believe the WSH will be cancelled in ten days time.
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www.stick2hockey.com has a profile. Its not befitting for the site’s editor to portray our national coach as chamcha.
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OUR VIEW: Most issues Narinder Batra rake up are legal ones, which are subject to interpretation, scrutiny and also discretion by competent authorities / courts. Secondly, if players are united, most things will take different shape in the resultant national sympathy and media frenzy, the twin factors that come to the forefront in such situations. We have seen such things in the past. Thirdly, HI and FIH know almost one and half year in advance the coming of the WSH. They could have easily presented a matching, if not a better, proposition to take control of the situation instead of now becoming Master Hurdlers. This site only reports and analyses events, and will continue to do without bias. The last word has not been said, but its unfortunate every hockey event is marred by politics. Certainly, hockey fans first interest is wish and welfare of players and this factor cannot be wished away. With regard to chamcha word, ok, I am sorry.

Firstly, these people who claim that they are doing something for the benefit of Hockey, should hear it loud and clear: This is all crap and no one believes you. They just ‘hear’ you because of your chair. Once that chair is toppled by another Hockey federation, the way you did, you will spend a lot uneventful, lonely evenings.

Look who is talking of long term interests of the sport and the nation? You are not the villain of WSH, you are the currently the most, serious internal threat to the national sport of this country. There are many others in your league, but today you are winner amongst them.

Second of all, you should remember that you have been a critic of Gill and have hated him always. Just think for a few moments: What have you done different from your predecessor? Empty sanctions, ‘controlling’ irrelevant things, conducting nationals like a local tournament, targeting and cornering players, not generate any money for Sport development? You are just another Gill with limited number of days. The reverse countdown has started.

You say you may reconsider putting the players in the national team but the FIH wouldn’t. It is because of your incompetency and poor visibility of Indians in the international decision making body that they are able to finger us anywhere everywhere. Had it been a strong Federation at the top, we wouldn’t had to go through the harassment as we are going through today at the hands of FIH. It reminds me to of British partnering with some local traitor rulers in the pre-independence to finally rule us. Do remember, you will be kicked out the day they don’t need you. So, it will be better to strengthen yourself in front of FIH rather than simply dancing to their tunes. Only powerful people survive against the mightier ones.

Dinner urgency of the players: Your proposal sounds like planning to offer an early morni