Terry Walsh unlikely to return

November 20, 2014 12:59 am | Updated November 16, 2021 04:44 pm IST - NEW DELHI:

Hockey India has made it clear that it won’t budge unless it receives complete clarification on “outstanding issues” from former Indian men’s hockey coach Terry Walsh.

The national federation president Narinder Batra was categorical in his rejection of Walsh’s claims of innocence.

“He got a mail sent from the software company Sportstec that there were no outstanding financial issues and the matter has been resolved. But Sportstec is neither the accused in this case nor the accuser. The matter is between US Hockey and Walsh and he has to clarify his stand.

“He says he has documents to do so. If he does, great. I don’t have any personal enmity with him, he has done good for the team. But no individual can claim 100 per cent credit for success. There is Roelant Oltmans, there is the rest of the staff and there are the players. True, winning is a habit and the success in Australia is a big boost for the team. Credit to Walsh for that. But there can be no compromises on matters of financial irregularities,” Batra said.

Federation sources claim that the whole issue has reached a point of no return, so much so that the federation is already on the lookout for a new foreign coach.

“Two-three have been shortlisted and talks have already begun. A decision is likely by January since the team has no assignment for a few months after the Champions Trophy,” sources said.

Walsh, too, had been curt on Tuesday, saying the entire fiasco was not only a non-issue but something that was slanderous and should be retracted.

“What has been going on in the press is unacceptable...in my view it’s just an unacceptable situation,” Walsh had said.

Batra agreed. “I told him if he proved his innocence in the entire matter, I would issue a public apology.

“But as a stakeholder in Sportstec, there is not only a clear conflict of interest on his part but also ambiguity on the entire deal,” he said.

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