New Delhi: These are testing times for Indian sport. Hours after the world football body (FIFA) on Friday night lifted the suspension on India and allowed it to host the under-17 World Cup for girls this October came a stern letter from the FIH (international hockey federation).
The letter from Thierry Weil, Chief Executive Officer of the FIH, written to the Committee of Administrators (COA), Hockey India, has pointed out lacunae in the revised draft constitution. Just to jog the readers' memory, Hockey India was put under the COA last month by the Delhi High Court.
Its mandate was to revise the constitution of Hockey India and make it compliant with the National Sports Code. Reigning in National Sports Federations has been taken up on a priority basis, where courts of law have also stepped in.
In fact, when FIFA suspended the AIFF, there was shock at home. The ramifications were huge. The biggest worry was India would lose hosting rights for the under-17 World Cup. It was only after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared before the Supreme Court and said efforts were on to talk to the FIFA, was the COA removed from the AIFF.
One thought, when the FIH (world hockey body) representatives came to New Delhi last week and met the COA of Hockey India and also officials in the Sports Ministry, there was no threat to India staging the World Cup next January in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. The press release from the FIH at that time was emphatic, there was no threat to India staging the World Cup and how their meetings with the Indian officials was productive.
What has come as a bolt from the blue, is the letter written by Thierry Weil to acting FIH president Seif Ahmed and marked to the COA of Hockey India. In the letter, Weil talks of how surprised he is to see changes in the draft constitution. The draft constitution of Hockey India has obviously been sent to the FIH. "I am not sure how we should take this, given the fact that you clearly committed to only make changes on the three points made in the Delhi High Court decision. This is clearly misusing the trust we put in you, during the meeting we had in Delhi, which was leading to draw a common press release," says the letter from Weil.
What is most important is the FIH has asked for an urgent "talk" with the COA and made it clear that they can cancel the draw for the World Cup which is to be held on September 8. This is the first time the FIH has threatened to take away the World Cup from India, for which the Odisha government has spent large sums of money and manpower in creating infrastructure at two venues.
Clearly, there appears to be a breach of trust between the COA of Hockey India and FIH. For the record, members of the COA include, SY Quraishi, former secretary sports, Govt of India, Justice (retd) Anil Dave and Zafar Iqbal.
It is interesting to note while the National Sports Code 2011 talks of one man one post in Indian sports administration, how the name of Quraishi crops up repeatedly, as administrator. Is there a paucity of talent in Indian sports administration that one man has to be part of all the committees in National Sports Federations which have faced governance issues.
In May 2019, the Supreme Court set aside the Archery Association of India constitution that he (Quraishi), as the Delhi High Court-appointed Administrator, had unilaterally revised the constitution. He had been given the mandate of making four amendments to the AAI constitution but exceeded his remit.
The Supreme Court had directed the Administrator to conduct elections within four weeks (of December 4, 2017), after incorporating the four amendments within a week from the date of the order. "That was the limited mandate given to the Administrator. Indeed, this Court had given liberty to the Administrator to seek clarification or directions if and when necessary," the Court said.
"That liberty, however, by no stretch of imagination could be mistaken as authorising the Administrator to carry out amendments in the Constitution beyond the four amendments referred to in the order dated December 4, 2017, much less to do so unilaterally without any prior notice to all the stakeholders and due deliberations with them as mandated by the Constitution of the AAI."
In football, when the Supreme Court asked for revision of the constitution, the delay was inordinate. The Court wanted the Administrator and Bhaskar Ganguly to amend the AIFF Constitution in keeping with the National Sports Code 2011. It took more than two years for the amended constitution to be submitted to the Supreme Court in May 2022.
By its own admission before the Supreme Court, COA accepted 98 per cent of the objections raised by football State Associations, FIFA and AFC. If more than 200 of the 215 objections were accepted, it meant that COA had drawn up a poor constitution. Even now the state football units continue to object that the COA went past the remit of the National Sports Code.
It is clear Court appointed administrators (COA) have not delivered as per brief and on time. Lastly, the Supreme Court has stayed appointment of a COA for the Indian Olympic Association, which was mandated by the Delhi High Court. Elections to the IOA were due in December 2021 and there has been no forward movement in the last eight
months.