Dhanraj Pillay, Suresh Kalmadi meet players

Pune:

The crisis in Indian hockey is nowhere closer to being resolved. The hockey players remained adamant and said that they would not resume training for the World Cup 2010 unless their demands were met. After another round of meetings which took place in Pune on Tuesday, the administrators threw up their hands saying they didn't have the money to pay the players.

Hockey India Chief AK Mattoo even went to the extent of saying that they would field a second string team in the upcoming World Cup if the first choice side continued with the strike. Mattoo set the deadline to Thursday for the players to resume practice or leave the camp and forget playing in the World Cup.

However, as per sources who spoke to NDTV, there is a thundering jolt in store for Hockey India as reports stated that the Hockey team would continue with their strike till their demands are not met, irrespective of the consequences. To top it all, the 'B' team that Mattoo was banking on for the World Cup, are also expected to join their seniors in their bid to get a fair deal from the federation.

Indian Olympic Association (IOA) Chief Suresh Kalmadi is expected to meet the hockey players in Pune later in the day.

Prior to this, when the news broke that Hockey India was not willing to meet the demands of the players, the Punjab and Madhya Pradesh government had agreed to sponsor the training and expenditure of all the players. Shree Cements, a leading cement manufacturer had also come forward with a help of Rs 1 crore to settle the feud immediately.