MHA slammed for accepting status as district unit
MUMBAI:FORMER hockey players, coaches and officials criticised on Tuesday Mumbai Hockey Association’s (MHA) decision to accept Hockey India’s directive and become a district unit of Hockey Maharashtra, which will no longer allow the city unit to field its own teams in the national championships.
As a separate entity, over 100 players—male as well as female—represented Mumbai across various age groups in the national championship.
“It is a huge setback to hockey in Mumbai as aspiring players will now get limited chances to participate in nationals,” Olympian Merwyn Fernandis said. “Merging the teams from Maharashtra and Mumbai, we had 36 players in each event and now it will be 18.”
Joaquim Carvalho, former India player and coach blamed MHA’S managing committee for not taking the matter to court, demanding that president Mangha Singh Bakshi and secretary Ram Singh Rathor should resign. “They did not have the will to fight,” he said.
“It is very disappointing. Mumbai has a rich history in Indian hockey. It has given chances to so many players from outside, like myself, to play and serve the game,” said former India goalkeeper Mir Ranjan Negi, who resigned as the managing committee member late last year.
Mumbai has produced over a dozen Olympians and other India players. Its last national title came in 2010, ending a 21-year wait. “From nationallevel players they will now be district-level players. It is very disappointing. They have killed an organisation which has so much history,” said Satinder Walia, ex-international umpire and women’s national coach.
“The letter came in January and they had enough time to consult everyone and take a proper decision,” said umpire Ranjit Dalvi, who came to Mumbai from Kolhapur to play and later officiated at the Mahindra Stadium, the city’s hockey hub.
Three members of the managing committee said the decision to affiliate with Hockey Maharashtra was taken without taking their opinion. “I am vicepresident in the committee and nobody consulted me,” Malkit Singh Bal said.
“When this matter was discussed in January, it was decided to seek legal opinion and file a case. I don’t know when this change of stand happened,” said another committee member, who did not wish to be identified.
Ranvir Singh, a life member of MHA, said affiliation with Hockey Maharashtra would be illegal as the Mumbai body’s constitution has provision for that. “MHA is registered under the Company Act 1956. How can it become a district unit? The MHA constitution says it is affiliated to the national body. It can’t be a district unit without amending the constitution,” he said. Rathor said they had no choice but take such a decision.
“We took this decision keeping Mumbai hockey’s interests in mind. If a player is good enough, he will get a chance and in case such a thing does not happen, we are there to fight for such players,” said Rathor.