Hockey India row: Sports ministry awaits amicable resolution before intervening

The sports ministry will wait for the warring factions in Indian hockey to settle their differences amicably before deciding whether its intervention is necessary.

HI president Dilip Tirkey and its general secretary Bhola Nath Singh have been locked in a public tug-of-war ever since the body criticized for changing the national teams’ jersey color from blue to saffron ahead of the recent World Cup.

Tirkey claimed he was not consulted before the decision and issued a show cause notice to HI CEO Cdr RK Srivastavawho is seen as close to Singh.

Singh, meanwhile, called an emergency board meeting on September 18 to discuss the current situation, claiming that he had been instructed to do so by Tirkey.

However, Tirkey insisted that he has not approved any such meeting and will not do so until he gets a satisfactory answer from Srivastava on the jersey fiasco and other matters.

Ministry sources said developments in HI are being closely monitored.

“Let them resolve it amicably, mutually. A decision will be made as to whether the ministry’s intervention is needed when it becomes clear that the situation is not being resolved,” said the source.

The Sports Minister met the HI brass band following the World Championships in Belgium and the Netherlands, where the men’s team finished a disappointing eighth, while the women fared slightly better, finishing fifth.

“The minister also touched on all of this at that meeting and developments are being monitored,” said the source.

– The end

Issued by:

Amar Panicker

Published on:

15 Sep 2026 16:38 IST