The FIH said not to sanction the WSH. This is due to some regularizes in playing for prestige or playing for cash.
The FIH is now on the Slippery slope that recently caught 14 members of the FIFA governing board.
Money is out there and Hockey players do play professionally in Europe and the FIH as adjusted to this in recent years. But as more and more money if being freed up in Asian and Pacific Rim Areas the rules may adapt to the ever-growing hunger for more sport and only with the influx of cash can this happen.
The Nation Governing Body take precedence right now for the players and the national team comes first.
However, salaries are low for any who try to make a go of it right now and the WSH has the cash to pump those salaries up.
The FIH is trying to remain devoted to the sport and here are some of the new rules to help keep everything on an even keel.
The IHF is now the recognized body in India controlling all aspects of the sport.
This has yet to be present to the FIH. However, you may assume it will be accepted.
You see the whole hoopla was started as a member of India’s hockey establishment got caught with their fingers in the till. This lead to a shake up and isn’t it strange now they are being reinstated?
Think FIFA and it’s ignoring everything and continuing business as usual and even the courts in other courtiers letting the 14 go back to what they were doing as if nothing happened.
Another change the dotted lines… Well, you can take the ball from inside the hash marks. But the 5-yard rule still applies.
No long hits in International play. This is obviously an attempt to play to the audience. (And the cameras)
So you see the sport is gradually taking shape similarly to all international sporting events and coming under the shadow of TV/Internet commercial interests. FIH will gradually relax its standards and we will see the FIH become a FIFA lookalike.
Any sport today is being looked at today as the massive hunger of the Internet, Cable companies, and national interest are looking at either entertaining the masses or enriching themselves with all the funding that a TV deal can bring.
In a few years, you’ll probably see similar scandals erupting around the FIH as it did in 2010 in India around their problems as well. But the moneymen working behind the scenes have made everything better.
This is an obvious parallel is that hasn’t been commented on in the media or the players themselves. As the lure of big money means a better standard of living and more business for the reporters as well who make a living off the sport by reporting on it.
This is just another sign of the commercialization of everything for profit and even in Australia, there are rumblings about allowing Hockey players to form up into leagues for pay and TV viewing for cash.
Perhaps Bird watching will have annual world events for pay if this trend continues. Oh, it already has.