Chances of chief coach being recalled highly unlikely after Sharan slams Dutchman
A day before the all-important Hockey India (HI) special committee meeting that could decide the fate of chief coach Paul Van Ass, sports secretary Ajit Mohan Sharan said on Thursday that the Dutchman was speaking "white lies".
The statement has effectively ended hopes of any reconciliation between the warring parties.
Ever since the controversy of Van Ass's "sacking" broke out, the Dutchman had maintained that he didn't receive an air ticket to reach India and join the national camp in Shilaroo. But with HI president Narinder Batra releasing details of the flight ticket, Van Ass has swung into damage control mode.
Van Ass mailed all communication received from HI, including the "sacking" information by HI high-performance director Roelant Oltmans, to Sports Authority of India (SAI).
"I have sent the mails to SAI. I asked them two times if they received it or not. There has been no response," the Dutchman told dna on Thursday.
Sharan said the mails that Van Ass sent were not definitive.
"He forwarded some mails two or three days back, but I would term them as rambling. Those were not definitive mails. Also, he was lying about the flight ticket. We have seen that the booking was made in his name," Sharan said.
According to Sharan, when he asked Van Ass to forward the mail in which Oltmans informed him about the "sacking", Van Ass refused to do so.
"He has not shared that sacking mail with SAI. Why is he not sending it to us? Also, who is Oltmans to sack him? Was he directed by SAI to do so? He has no authority to appoint or sack anyone. Van Ass should have checked with us whether we have put him on notice or not. His contract is with SAI, not HI," Sharan added.
Van Ass admitted that "he received the flight ticket from HI on June 9, but failed to confirm the return ticket from Europe as it slipped out of his mind".
"I checked my mailbox from June yesterday (Wednesday) and there was a return booking to New Delhi for July 17. I just had to confirm it, but I missed it. But then I came to know that I was not welcomed anymore," Van Ass said.
Asked why he assumed that HI or Batra had the authority to sack him, Van Ass said: "I assumed that Mr Batra had a contract with SAI. He could sack me, but that was not the case. This means I still have the chance. I am ready to come back and meet all parties involved," he said.
Asked why he did not forward the mail he received from Oltmans to SAI, he said: "Oltmans had written in his capacity as high-performance director. On Tuesday (July 14), it was confirmed that Elena Norman (CEO of HI) had contacted SAI. The formal letter was just a matter of days.
"Don't worry. There's a meeting tomorrow (Friday) in Delhi. If they keep blaming me, I will release the mails," he added.
Given Sharan's statement, it's highly unlikely now that Van Ass would be recalled. However, Batra maintained he was still ready to bring him back if the committee decides so on Friday.
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