BANGKOK: Assured of a place in the World Cup but the Indian women’s hockey team is still not a happy lot as players say they have not been paid their daily allowance for the second international tournament in a row.

The team, which booked a World Cup berth by clinching a silver at the just-concluded Asia Cup, allege that the administrators are focussing only on men’s hockey and ignoring the women.

“We have fared well in two tournaments (Kazan Champions Challenge and Asia Cup) successively without daily allowance from the Indian Women’s Hockey Federation. But at the same time, men are getting their allowances,” a senior member of the team said on condition of anonymity.

The sports federations pay a daily allowance of $35 to touring teams but the players claim that allowances of those working with Railways were coming from their employers, the jobless were not getting anything.

“Most of us are satisfied with what our employer Railways pays on tours. But there are unemployed players in the team and they need to be paid, but they have got nothing so far,” said another player.
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From the team that competed in Bangkok, Rani Ramphal, Monika Badran, Ritu Rani and Savita Punnia are yet to get job as they are under-age.

Incidentally, 17-year-old Rani scored half a dozen goals against Thailand and the winner in the semi-final against Korea.

“They are interested only in men’s hockey,” a player said curtly.

The player said women’s hockey was not getting the attention it deserved.

“A top brand in sports goods company wanted to sponsor our kit but the authorities in Hockey India took it casually and did not even bother to respond to the proposals,” she revealed.

Most of the girls had to do with their old kits here for the Asia Cup. Travelling kit was not given to 12 players here and the six girls who joined the team from the Junior ranks had to make do with the ones they got for Junior World Cup