VHA administrator demands restoration of HI affiliation

Nagpur, July 18

The Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) administrator TN Sidhra has written a letter to the members of Committee Of Administrators (COA) of Hockey India (HI) demanding restoration of affiliation with the national body.

Sidhra in his letter has demanded that associate members who have been disaffiliated on 1st July 2021 should be allowed to be retained their membership with Hockey India especially the founding members as indicated above. He said, “ Our only plea that our Hockey players shall be allowed to take part in the National activities, by virtue of this they get grace mark in matric examination and government employment. We are not at all interested to have any financial aid nor interested to contest any elections.”

Sidhra said being a founder member of National Hockey Federation which has been steadfast by promoting the game of hockey in the Central part of India and was affiliated to Indian Hockey Federation. He served the Indian Hockey Federation for number of Years upto 1994 and still very active with Vidarbha Hockey Association units since 1962. In the year 2019 on August 3 the High Court of Nagpur vide writ petition no. 488/2019 empowered him as administrator of Vidarbha Hockey Association He said, “ While every state body and other affiliated units with the Indian Hockey Federation have been functioning well as cohesive units and most importantly as a democratic body, all of the sudden from the bolt out of the blue Hockey India was brought in by the Indian Olympic Association with vested interest and high jacked NSF Hockey by including its own persons to run hockey affairs of the country. It was a blatant/ arbitrary one and since then, Hockey India has gone into the hands of several individuals in various states and totally discarded the truer and tested erstwhile affiliated units of IHF.”

Sidhra also said, “ After several pleas, Hockey India granted affiliation to Vidarbha Hockey Association (VHA) as associate member in the year 2010 and under this category our association has been attached with Hockey India for a few years until 2021 June. From July 1st 2021, we have been disaffiliated.This move of Hockey India has caused tremendous frustration, mental stress and disappointment amongst the player and hockey players/ followers.”

Sidhra said, “ We have shockingly and fallaciously disaffiliated as Associate Member along with other nine units viz. Mumbai Hockey Association, Hockey Bhopal, Vidarbha Hockey Association,

Bangaluru Hockey Association, Andhra Hockey Association, Hockey Madhya Bharat, Hockey Patiala, Hockey Gangpur Odisha and Hockey Coorg and thus made us languishing and literally. dumped into the bin... this certainly was not the right decision of Hockey India and it needed to be readdressed with proper understanding as also taking the ground legalities.”

Sidhra demanded that since Mumbai Hockey Association and Vidarbha Hockey Association were the founder members of the National Hockey Body way back 90 years ago and they should enjoy the privileges and consideration as provided by the Hon'ble Justice Lodha Committee while finalising the affiliated units of BCCI a few year back.