Sports News | Foreign Players Knew in Advance About Timing and Venue of HIL: Bhola Nath
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh on Wednesday rubbished "theories" that foreign players are pulling out of the upcoming HIL due to less money, timing and venue of the league, saying there is no point in complaining now as they knew about everything in advance.
New Delhi, Dec 11 (PTI) Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh on Wednesday rubbished "theories" that foreign players are pulling out of the upcoming HIL due to less money, timing and venue of the league, saying there is no point in complaining now as they knew about everything in advance.
Bhola Nath said the money, which the foreign players attracted from franchises, was not in their hands.
"When HIL started in 2013, where were we at world stage of hockey. We were at the bottom, but now, after winning back-to-back Olympic bronze medals, the franchises definitely preferred to invest big on Indian players, which is a good sign for Indian hockey," he told PTI.
"It doesn't matter to us what some foreign players are cribbing about, what matters is that HIL is reviving on a large scale and will go a long way. I don't buy these theories.
"The price they (foreign players) got in auctions is not in our hands, it is up to the franchises. Most of the franchises have foreign coaches and have a team management, they decided who to buy.
"Before we started the process of auction, those players who have shown their interest in participating in the HIL, have been sent a contract, which mentioned the starting date of the event. Now, suddenly, how some foreign players can say that they opted out because it clashed with their Christmas holidays," he added.
It has been learnt that 96 foreign players were bought by eight men and four women franchises but many have pulled out at the last minute with the tournament beginning on December 28 in Rourkela.
According to sources, the foreign players were not happy with the money they drew from the franchises compared to their Indian counterparts.
Besides, the timing of the tournament was also an issue with them as it was coinciding with Christmas holidays, and those who have pulled out preferred to stay with their families during that time rather than be in an "uneventful" place like Rourkela.
"Yes, it's true some foreign players were not happy with the price they got from HIL auctions. Over that they were also unhappy with the timing of the tournament as it clashes with Christmas holidays," a HIL team source told PTI.
"They were also concerned about the venue as Rourkela doesn't have many places for recreation after matches.
"What I know is that some more foreign players will withdraw before the tournament starts," he added.
Dutch Olympic champion Xan de Waard, Germany's Nike Lorenz and Britain's Anna Toman among others have pulled out of the tournament after the auctions.
Germany's Christopher Ruhr, who was the costliest foreigner in the 2016 HIL auctions after being picked for approximately Rs 63 lakh by Ranchi Rays, was bought for Rs 18 lakh this time by Delhi SG Pipers. However, he pulled out of the event due to an ACL injury, according to his franchise.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)