PTI
Kazan, Apr 28: The embattled Indian Hockey Federation came in for some fresh salvos from the FIH with the world body on Sunday threatening to scrap the Promoting Indian Hockey Project and the 2010 World Cup if the IOA fails to clean up the mess in IHF.
Expressing dismay at the state of Indian hockey just a day before an IOA meeting to discuss the bribe scandal involving suspended IHF secretary K Jothikumaran, FIH chief Els van Breda Vriesman said the world body can't work with a federation whose top official was under investigation following a TV sting operation.
"It (the sting operation) is never heard of in the world of field hockey. I wish the Indian hockey gets positive publicity and not this kind. We are in touch with both International Olympic committee and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) how to proceed in such situation," she said.
"Now the IOA has to manage Indian Hockey Confederation because I don't think we can work with a half-suspended Secretary General (K Jothikumaran) and a president probably linked because he protects his secretary in this case," she added.
Vriesman said she was not asking anybody to step down but the IOA or the Sports Ministry will have to intervene now if the future of Promoting Indian Hockey Project and 2010 World Cup is to be protected.
"The agenda before the Indian table is clear. But who is going to take the decisions. It is upto the Indian Olympic Association and the Sports ministry to handle the situation, it is not up to us,” she added.