WSH slaps notice on Indian players

BHOPAL: Sparking off yet another controversy, organisers of the World Series Hockey (WSH) tournament have slapped notices on players of the national team for failing to honour their commitments. Team India’s striker Shivendra Singh said he had received a mail from the organising committee seeking reasons for his absence. Shivendra had been picked to play for Bhopal Badshahs in the WSH.

According to sources, similar notices have been served on some other players of the national team for reneging on their WSH commitments. In the notice to Singh, WSH says they are disappointed by the breach of the contract signed on December 20, 2010. It says Shivendra has breached the agreement by not taking part in the WSH training camp sessions and team meetings. Shivendra was signed for the period of October 1, 2011 to April 30, 2012. His contract was for three seasons.

The organisers also claimed that Shivendra was paid Rs 1 lakh in advance as part of the player fee after signing the agreement. When contacted, chief operating officer of Nimbus Sport, Yannick Colaco, said that respective franchises must have sent the letter. “It is the right of the franchise which owns a WSH team to opt for legal action against players who failed to participate in the tournament,” he said.

The national hockey camp for London Olympics will start at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre, Bangalore on March 5. If Shivendra and others skip the camp to play in WSH, they will be automatically disqualified.

Shivendra told TOI that he will take up the issue with Hockey India before replying. However, Shivendra said that his priority was to play in the Olympics. “There will be no second thought.”