Igor Nemeček (source: SITA)
The group includes NHL players Zdeno Chára, Marián Hossa, Marián Gáborík, Ľubomír Višňovský, Andrej Sekera, and Tomáš Tatar.
Current SZHĽ head Igor Nemeček is asking for time to persuade them that they are wrong, the Sme daily reported.
“The recent vote for the SZĽH head showed the whole Slovakia, and especially us, ice hockey representatives, that SZĽH rules are far from the rules of fair competition,” reads the statement, as quoted by Sme.
The players consider the step when incumbent Nemeček, SZĽH’s functionaries, and members of the association’s committees voted as “absurd and unacceptable”.
“The culture of the association set by the incumbent management is the actual opposite of the positive change which the declining Slovak hockey needs,” the players added.
They also claimed that they do not want their names to be connected with the current activities of SZĽH. The players are ready to push on the association to adopt radical changes that will result in a better situation for Slovak ice hockey.
Nemeček, however, disagrees with the statement, saying that the elections were democratic and followed the rules. He and the new executive committee will try to prove that they were elected for a reason. They will also try to improve the situation in ice hockey, Nemeček continued.
“I believe that we will persuade those, who do not support us, that they are wrong and that we have good plans for the ice hockey,” Nemeček told Sme.
He refused to speculate about the threat that the players would boycott their participation in the national representation team.
