NEW DELHI, May 1: India’s new field hockey selectors promised transparency on Thursday following the suspension of the national federation over corruption allegations.

“The selection process will be transparent and we’ll make the coaches accountable for the Indian team’s performance,” chief selector Aslam Sher Khan said on Thursday after the first meeting of the new, five-member selection committee comprising ex-Olympians.

Former Indian captains Ajitpal Singh, Ashok Kumar, Zafar Iqbal and Dhanraj Pillay are the other selectors appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

The IOA suspended the hockey federation after a TV channel claimed to have filmed top official Kumaraswamy Jothikumaran allegedly ccepting a cash bribe to include a player in the national squad.

Randhir Singh, secretary-general of the IOA, said on Thursday a panel for governing the hockey association would be “formed within a week.”

“The selectors will interact with the IOA regularly, but we’ll not interfere in selection matters,” Randhir Singh told reporters.

“They are all former Olympians who have been given the task of reviving Indian hockey.”

Eight-time Olympic hockey champions India have long been in decline. They failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time in 80 years.

“I’m glad the selection matters have been given priority by the IOA,” said Khan.

“There were a lot of problems with selection, which we are seeking to fix. The coaches now play a crucial role in team selection, but we’ll make the coaches accountable for the team’s performance,” he added.—AP