Hockey standoff continues, Gill asks players to return to training

As the standoff between Indian hockey players and Hockey India (HI) over issues of payment continued, deepening the crisis facing the national sport, Union Sports Minister M S Gill today urged the players to return to training and promised to take up their grievances after next month's World Cup in New Delhi.

In a statement, Dr Gill said he had been watching the standoff with concern and that the Sports Authority of India had also been in close touch with the situation.

The Minister said he was aware of the grievances of the players, as projected, through the press. He was als aware that, since the elected Indian Hockey Federation was removed last year, the new Hockey India was in the process of being formed.

He noted that the current HI committee was of an ad hoc nature and said its election process, under the guidance of the Ministry's observer and the International Hockey Federation (FIH), was in progress and would be completed by February 7, when a regular management with a regular tenure would assume responsibility.

"In this situation, I am of the view, that an immediate long term solution is not possible. The duty of all players is to continue training, and be ready to play the first match of the World Cup, on the 28th of February 2010, against Pakistan," he said.

Dr Gill said the new hockey stadium, which he inspected today, would be the best in the world. "The players must train, and put in their best, and I expect good results," he said.

According to him, after the tournament, the Ministry of Sports would be in dialogue with the new elected management of Hockey India to find satisfactory solutions to all issues raised by the players.

"I wish to appeal to the players, to immediately join training, and continue so, with full heart, till the tournament, and focus to win it. I am clear, that after the tournament, I will do everything possible, to give the players a fair deal. Everyone knows in the country, that it is my objective, to lift Indian hockey to the glorious level, it has had in the past," he added.

Meanwhile, after failing to bring the protesting players around, HI warned them that if they did not return to the camp a new team would have to be chosen for the World Cup.

HI president A K Mattoo said the players wanted to be paid for the year 2009 and had come up with the figures for the amounts each player should get.

He said HI did not have the resources to meet the demands and would have no choice but to choose a new team if the players did not resume training.

He said the players' stand showed that money was more important for them than playing for the country, a charge that the players strongly refuted. The players also said they had not received any assurances from the HI management. They said they were only asking for the match fees for last year's matches and the incentives for the podium finishes they had achieved.

The players also wondered why they had to make all the sacrifices for playing for the country. "Why can't the administrators think about the country?" asked one of them.

NNN