NEW DELHI: India’s World Cup campaign was thrown into chaos on Tuesday after talks between striking hockey players and officials broke down over a pay row.
Hockey India’s interim President Ashok Mattoo said the entire 22-man squad will be asked to leave the World Cup camp in the western city of Pune if it did not start training within 48 hours.
“The players have no business to be at the camp if they do not want to train,” Mattoo told reporters after admitting that emergency talks with the players in Pune had failed.
“We asked them to choose between money and playing for the country. They chose money, which is unfortunate.” Mattoo said the players demanded 450,000 rupees ($10,000) each before they would resume training, an amount; he said that Hockey India was unable to pay.
“We offered them 25,000 rupees ($555) which they refused.
Hockey India does not have the kind of money they are asking for,” he said.
Mattoo, however, insisted India would field a team at the 12-nation World Cup in New Delhi from Feb. 28 to March 13.
“We will find players to play in the World Cup,” he said.
The squad went on strike last week and a perceived truce reached in New Delhi on Saturday collapsed within 24 hours as the squad hardened its stand.
International Hockey Federation (FIH) Vice-President Antonio von Ondarza of Venezuela, who attended the meeting at Mattoo’s request, said he was shocked at the developments.
“It is unfortunate to be confronted with such a situation,” Ondarza told reporters. “I told the players that you don’t put pressure 10 weeks before a tournament.
“You have to concentrate on playing. But they said money was more important. It is very sad that money comes before playing for India.”
Team goalkeeper Adrian D’Souza, speaking on behalf of the players, said they only wanted what was due to them, and added the entire squad was willing to play the World Cup at their own cost.
“Their 25,000 rupees appears like a tip,” said D’Souza. “We have only asked for what is due to us. It is not right for anyone to say we are blackmailing Hockey India.”
“If they don’t have the money, we are willing to play the World Cup at our own cost, but we will not accept a token amount.”
The players are demanding what they said were outstanding allowances, performance-related bonuses and graded contracts with monthly salaries.
Mattoo is serving as interim president of Hockey India until elections to the body are held on February 7.
India, once the masters of the game with eight Olympic titles, failed to qualify for the Beijing Games in 2008 and earned a direct World Cup berth only by virtue of being the hosts.
They won the Sultan Azlan Shah invitation tournament in Malaysia last year and finished third behind New Zealand and Pakistan in the Champions Challenge event in Argentina.
Chief coach Jose Brasa said that somebody should intervene and find a solution.
“The talks did not move an inch. It is a complete deadlock. Somebody will have to come forward and help find a solution,” Brasa said.
