Amid reports of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) seeking visa guarantees for the upcoming Asia Cup, Hockey India (HI) made it clear on Tuesday that the nation comes first and the federation would abide by the government's advice on the matter. "As of now, there have neither been any talks with the government nor any guideline or advisory from them. There is enough time at the moment, the Asia Cup is three months away and as and when something comes from the government, we will act accordingly," Hi secretary general Bhola Nath Singh said on the sidelines of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Amity University Online (AUO) here. Bhola Nath, who is also an Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) vice-president, insisted that there had been no discussion at the continental level either on the issue. "I am with the AHF and HI but I am also an Indian and the country comes first. We have ambitious plans including hosting the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics but let the Indian government first say something, only we can respond," he said. Bhola Nath also announced that the 2026 season of the Hockey India League (HIL) will commence on January 5 to accommodate more players from Europe while categorically denying there were any pending players'