Indian hockey pay crisis resolved

PUNE: The crisis in Indian hockey was resolved yesterday with Indian Olympic Association president Suresh Kalmadi brokering a compromise deal between the game’s administrators and the striking players, who have been promised an immediate disbursement of one crore rupees (BD83,000).

Kalmadi said that a full settlement has been reached and “everybody is happy about it”. Kalmadi said that the one crore rupess paid by sponsors Sahara India will be disbursed among the players within a week and all other issues would be settled in due course of time.

The settlement of the crisis, which has dogged Indian hockey for the last five days, paves the way for the players to rejoin the World Cup preparatory camp from today.

Kalmadi also said that a Players’ Welfare Development Fund will be created and former Indian captain Dhanraj Pillay who also played a key role in resolving the crisis has been put in charge.