Hockey players demand due payment

The Indian hockey players have threatened to pull out of the ongoing national training camp in Pune if they are not paid their match fee for the recently concluded Champions Challenge I tournament in Argentina.

The senior players are annoyed by the delay in payment and have written a letter to Hockey India President A K Mattoo demanding that money be paid within seven days.

The letter has no mention about the pull out but sources say that the players have actually made up their mind to withdraw from the camp if they will not get payment in a week's time.

When contacted Mattoo confirmed that he had received the letter from the players.

"I have received a letter from the players. We are looking at the possibilities for making the payment early," Mattoo said.

The players said that on the previous occasions they were paid money in advance but this time the fee has not been paid even after the conclusion of the tournament.

"We would like to be paid our money for Champions Challenge in Argentina. In the previous three years we were paid Rs. 25,000 each for every tournaments before we left India. We would like to be paid this time too and as for the future tournaments, please make arrangements to pay well in advance," the players have demanded in the letter.

India had won bronze medal in the tournament, held in Salta, Argentina last month.