Sandeep Singh, Sardara Singh quit camp

BANGALORE: Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh, the two controversial figures who made their way into the hockey team for the Asian Champions Trophy, left the camp abruptly on Tuesday, leaving the chief coach and support staff in a tizzy.

Many reasons were being floated in the camp, including the divisions which have hurt the fabric of the team but what seemed plausible at this stage was the confession that they were not “mentally prepared” to be part of the team which had “isolated them”.

Apparently, Sardara did not see eye-to-eye with skipper Rajpal Singh and was not in talking terms with him, affecting their rapport on the field. Sandeep’s equation with the others isn’t clear but what was evident in Monday’s happenings is that all is not hunky-dory. In a meeting with chief coach Michael Nobbs on Monday, Sandeep said he had his child to tend to while Sardar uttered a lot less. “They just left,” Nobbs said, hinting that they didn’t meet him to get his permission. “Sardara said he’s quitting and Sandeep said he’s got problems with his child. Sandeep said, ‘I’m leaving, here’s my letter, my flight’s booked and I’ve got to leave’.”

The two were part of the famous five – Adrian D’Souza, Prabhjot Singh and Arjun Halappa being the other three – who had quit the camp without permission to be part of the World Hockey Series launch in Mumbai last month. But they were included in the Champions Trophy team after they promised, yet again, that they would put India ahead of every other priority. They had made a similar pledge after missing the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in May. Obviously, the promise, made for the second time in about three months, was meant to be broken.

Sandeep clarified he had got Nobbs’ permission to leave. “I am on my way to home. It is an emergency. Sardara and I have some important family issues that need to be tackled. Family is the priority right now for me, so I cannot comment on when I would rejoin the camp or whether I would participate in the Asian Champions Trophy.”

Asked whether his and Sardara’s departure on the same day would create another controversy, Sandeep said: “We both leaving on the same day was just a coincidence. I don’t want any controversy to emerge out of this and I will be there with the team once the issues at home are resolved.”

Sardara denied he was quitting the game but admitted that he was not mentally prepared for the Asian Champions Trophy. “But I have had no problems in the camp and I was happy there. I cannot tell just yet when I will return to the camp. I will have a clearer picture in a day or two.