"Yes, I was told by Joaquim to join them before the nominations were filed. But I don't want to be someone who sits outside and talks. I want to be part of the system and work for hockey. It's very easy to sit outside and talk," Negi said.
In what is touted as the battle between Olympians and incumbents in the upcoming Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) elections, there is one former hockey player who is sitting at the other side of the fence.
Mir Ranjan Negi, the former India goalkeeper and protagonist of Hindi movie Chak De India, is fighting for a second term in the managing committee with the current set-up. This, despite the rival group comprising former Olympians Gurbax Singh Grewal and Joaquim Carvalho, urging Negi to jump the ship.
"Yes, I was told by Joaquim to join them before the nominations were filed. But I don't want to be someone who sits outside and talks. I want to be part of the system and work for hockey. It's very easy to sit outside and talk," Negi said.
Carvalho said the entire Mumbai hockey fraternity will boycott Negi and Darryl D'Souza – the other former international player in the current set-up – if they continued to be a part of the group led by Mangha Singh Bakshi.
"We had requested Negi and D'Souza to leave that group and join us in the fight. But they haven't done so. The entire hockey fraternity in the city will boycott them for going against us," Carvalho said.
Negi, on his part, said he wouldn't bow down to such pressure tactics.
"What will happen if they boycott me? They should have taken me with them when they were in the committee three years ago. Now they expect me to join them? I will not join them, and won't be pressurised by them," he said.
However, Negi admitted that fighting against his former hockey mates on August 12 won't be easy for him.
"It pains me that I'm standing against these people. But elections are a different ball game. It is fought with brains, not emotions. Honestly, I wasn't very keen to fight the elections this time, but I think I can still contribute towards the growth of Mumbai hockey. And that is why, despite all the politics in this, I decided to fight once again," Negi said.
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