After the public embarrassment, Hockey India calls an emergency meeting to resolve the disputes

Hockey India has called an emergency executive board meeting on September 18 as the federation tries to resolve differences among its top officials following a series of controversies in recent weeks.

The meeting, which will be held at the Hockey India office in New Delhi, has been convened by secretary Bhola Nath Singh on the instructions of president Dilip Tirkey. The rift between the two officials came to light following a dispute over the change of the Indian teams jersey color from blue to saffron ahead of the recently concluded FIH World Cup.

Tirkey said the change was made without his knowledge and without the approval of the Hockey India executive board. He subsequently issued a notice to Hockey India CEO Cdr RK Srivastava and relieved him of his powers with immediate effect.

The notice listed eight allegations against Srivastava, with the jersey controversy among the key issues. Srivastava has four weeks to respond.

Bhola Nath’s email to the members of the Executive Council, a copy of which is with PTI, said the 119th meeting of the Executive Council will be held on September 18 at 3 pm.

RESTRUCTURING OF THE INDIAN HOCKEY LEAGUE

One of the most important items on the agenda will be the future of the Hockey India League, which has been beset by disagreements over its governance.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met franchise owners Tirkey and HIL on Monday and asked them to prepare a plan for a men’s and women’s league. A five-member panel was tasked with working on the proposed management and finance model.

The franchise owners have also been pushing for a greater role in the running of the league, unhappy with how the competition is being run by Hockey India.

The proposal under discussion involves converting HIL into a joint venture between Hockey India and the franchise owners. The plan calls for a separate company, HIL Pvt Ltd, with Hockey India holding 40 percent of the equity and the franchises collectively holding the remaining 60 percent.

Another proposal is to create a new board of trustees for the league. It would have a chairman and two members from Hockey India along with two representatives from each franchise and oversee the administration of HIL.

The restructuring of the league could therefore be one of the biggest decisions to come out of the September 18 meeting.

ELECTIONS ALSO ON THE PROGRAM

The executive board will also discuss the Hockey India elections, including the appointment of an election officer to oversee the process.

The meeting will also consider and approve the federation’s balance sheet and income and expenditure accounts for the financial year 2025-26.

The organization of this year’s Asian Trophy for men and women will also be up for grabs. Punjab’s Jalandhar and Mohali along with Bhopal are among the tournament venues being considered.

Tirkey’s case against Srivastava will also be formally presented to the Executive Council. The notice contains allegations that privileged and confidential information and records of Hockey India were leaked to the public through the media and social media.

The September 18 meeting will therefore bring Hockey India’s several outstanding issues to the same table, with the federation facing pressure to settle its internal disputes while finding a workable structure for its domestic league.

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Issued by:

Kingshuk Kusari

Published on:

15 Sep 2026 11:41 IST