Hockey India drops David John from selection panel

The High Performance Director discussed India’s disappointing performance in the Asian Games with the media which didn't please the newly-elected HI President Mushtaque Ahmad.

David John will continue to remain as the High Performance Director of Hockey India.

Hockey India (HI) on Tuesday decided to drop its High Performance Director David John from the men’s senior team selection committee for showing “bias” against a few senior players.

Expressing his displeasure at John discussing India’s disappointing performance in the Asian Games with the media and its likely fallouts on some players, newly-elected HI President Mushtaque Ahmad decided to remove him from the selection panel.

In a letter to his Secretary General Rajinder Singh, the HI chief said John will not be a part of the selection committee which will pick the Indian team for the upcoming World Cup in November-December. But sources said that John will not be a part of any selection panel from now on.

“I am not happy with David John commenting on individual players who played in Asian Games. As a matter of policy/principle we do not allow discussion on individual players in public domain and John by discussing that has broken all protocols,” Mushtaque, who was elected as HI chief on Monday, said.

“Observing the bias of David John against few players of senior men’s team, I have decided that John will not be a part of the senior men’s selection committee for the World Cup. This is to ensure fairness in selection without any prior bias against anyone in anyone’s mind,” he said.

Mushtaque also asked Rajinder to report to him after discussing with John as to what he has done in the last two years for the development of Indian hockey at grass root level, on the identification of academies and development of coaching programme for Indian coaches.

A top HI source, however, said that “as of now” John’s contract which runs till 2020 Tokyo Olympics is safe.

“As of now, John will continue as High Performance Director. There is no change in that, but he will not henceforth be a part of any selection committee of HI,” a source from the HI told PTI on condition of anonymity.

John left for Argentina on Tuesday as part of Indian contingent for the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. India is fielding both men’s and women’s teams in Hockey 5s competition in the Youth Olympics.