Tirkey discusses HI’s state of affairs with Sports Minister

The ongoing troubles in Hockey India reached up to the sports ministry with HI president Dilip Tirkey and other office-bearers meeting Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday.

Sources close to the development confirmed that Mandaviya sought all details of the happenings in the sport over the last few months, both on and off the field, indicating his concerns. The meeting, lasting close to half hour, also covered the future course of action for hockey in general, with special emphasis on the upcoming Asian Games.

While nothing was official, sources admitted that the minister, while expressing support for Hockey India’s response to the recent incident involving three players — Manpreet Singh, Krishan Bahadur Pathak and Dilpreet Singh — made it clear that he expected the federation to take strong, visible action and ensure there was no repetition. It has also been reliably learnt that the role of coach Craig Fulton, in the entire episode was also discussed.