Govt slams IHF, demands more teeth for Aussie coach

KEY TO INDIAN HOCKEY: Aussie coach Ric Charlesworth says he has plans for Indian hockey.

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New Delhi: After the embarrassment comes the blame game and the damage control. The Indian Hockey Federation – facing the heat for Indian team’s failure to qualify for the Olympics – is now being taken to task by the Government.

Sources tell CNN-IBN the Sports Ministry has asked IHF to assign a greater role to Australian coach Ric Charlesworth.

In a three-hour-long closed-door meeting between the Federation top bosses and the Sports Ministry, the IHF reportedly got an earful from the Ministry officials.

However, while the Federation paid for Charlesworth ticket from Australia, he was not invited to the crucial meeting. “The only thing I would say is that if things remain the same, it won’t be the answer for India and I won't want to be interested in that,” Charlesworth reacted.

It did not help matters that Federation Chief KPS Gill chose to remain silent on the minutes of the three-hour-long meeting.

“This is neither the place nor the venue for a press conference. I will call you after we finish our talks,” he told the newsmen gathered outside the meeting venue.

According to sources, IHF was pulled up for the debacle in the Olympic qualifiers and for no transparency in its functioning.

The Ministry asked the IHF to involve Charlesworth by assigning and clearly demarcating his role.

Sources say the ministry will initially offer the Aussie coach a one-year contract with further extensions.

The IHF does not want Charlesworth to look after the senior team and instead wants him to concentrate on the junior and developmental teams.

The proposal also wants him to help the women team qualify for the Olympics and working with hockey coaches across the board.

He will also have to set performance parameters for Men and Women hockey teams. Charlesworth met the top brass after the meeting but was not satisfied. He said he had larger plans for Indian hockey.

“I have a lot of ideas about how India should go about rebuilding its place in hockey,” he said.

The impasse continues and it’s now up to the IHF and Charlesworth to iron out the differences for the greater good of the game.