Mumbai: Olympian Joachim Carvalho on Monday hailed the Delhi High Court`s decision, allowing players to take part in the World Series Hockey (WSH), saying that this will allow them to participate in the Olympic qualifiers with "peace of mind".
"All the Indian players, who had signed up to play in the WSH before March 31, 2011, have been provided protection by the court and they can freely play in the tournament without any hindrance," said Carvalho.
"...all players can now take part in the Olympic qualifiers in a peaceful state of mind and give their best."
"Since the court itself has given its permission, I don`t see any reason why they (Hockey India) should resort to any dirty games now. Having taken up the cudgels on behalf of the players, I`m very happy with the verdict," he added.
Delhi High Court today cleared the way for the players` participation in the WSH, a joint initiative of Indian Hockey Federation and Nimbus Sport, provided WSH schedule does not clash with international commitments of the national team.
Bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw disposed of Carvalho`s petition, which had prayed that Hockey India (HI) be restrained from threatening players that they would not be considered for national duty if they participated in WSH.
To a query on the fate of the players who had signed up for WSH after March 31, 2011, Carvalho said it was now for HI to decide. "Not many players have signed after March 31, 2011. However, the question should be posed to Hockey India. If they have the hockey`s and players` interest at heart and want players to make money and gain exposure playing with international players, they should surely let them play."
Carvalho added he was still willing to cooperate with Hockey India to work out a long-term solution. "If (HI`s secretary general) Narendra Batra calls me and tells me that he wants my co-operation, I will surely extend it."
PTI
First Published: Monday, February 13, 2012, 22:13