Hockey India dispute: Sports Ministry awaits amicable resolution before intervening

The Sports Ministry will wait for the warring factions in Hockey India to resolve their differences amicably before deciding whether an intervention from it is required.

HI President Dilip Tirkey and its secretary general Bhola Nath Singh have been locked in a public tug of war ever since the body drew criticism for changing the national teams' jersey colour from blue to saffron before the recent World Cup.

Tirkey has maintained that he was not consulted before the decision and has issued a show cause notice to HI Director General, Cdr R K Srivastava, who is perceived to be close to Singh.

Singh, meanwhile, has convened an Emergent Board Meeting on September 18 to discuss the current situation, claiming to have got directions to do so from Tirkey.

However, Tirkey has insisted that he has not approved any such meet and would not do so till the time he receives a satisfactory response from Srivastava on the jersey fiasco and other issues.

Ministry sources said developments in HI are being closely tracked.

"Let them resolve it amicably, mutually. Whether ministry intervention is needed would be decided once it is clear that the situation is not getting resolved," the source said.

The Sports Minister had met the HI brass after the World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands where the men's team finished a disappointing eighth while the women did marginally better to end fifth.

"The Minister had touched upon all this in that meeting too and developments are being monitored," said the source.- EndsPublished By: Amar PanickerPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 16:38 IST