Gill, Jothikumaran will have to go: Pargat
Pargat said it was high time the IHF top bosses took responsibility and stepped down from their posts.
Former captain and Olympian Pargat Singh today held the Indian Hockey Federation top brass responsible for India's failure to qualify for the Olympics.
India lost to Britain 2-0 in the final of the qualifiers in Chile to miss the bus for the Beijing Games for the first time in eight decades.
Pargat said it was high time the IHF top bosses took responsibility and stepped down from their posts.
"It's time the IHF office-bearers, including President K P S Gill and Secretary K Jothikumaran, take moral responsibility of the poor performance of Indian hockey team in the Olympic qualifiers and immediately resign from their posts," Pargat told PTI.
"It was not surprising that Indian hockey team failed to qualify for the Olympics. It was expected due to the performance of IHF," Pargat said, adding the government should take control of the federation to save the national game.
Pargat said the resignation of IHF Vice-President Narender Batra, who used to oppose Gill's autocratic governance of the federation, would allow the top brass of the federation to function more whimsically.
"His resignation will adversely affect the functioning of IHF as Gill and Jothikumaran, who have virtually forged a nexus, will be free to ruin Indian hockey further," Pargat said.
Pargat demanded the resignation of all the office-bearers of IHF.
"Now the whole team of IHF should immediately resign and some authority, which is serious to uplift the game, should take control of the federation," he said.
"We have to start afresh and an authority, which has the vision to develop hockey and bring sponsors for the game, is needed. Secretary of the Federation should be a person who knows the game," he said.
Suggesting the steps which should be taken for the improvement of the sport, Pargat said the domestic circuit should be strengthened to prepare the players properly.
"Any country, which has a strong domestic circuit, performs well in international tournaments," he said.
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