MP govt ready to meet hockey players' demands

Bhopal:

The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that the State government was willing to bear the expenditure for increased payment and training for players of Indian national hockey team.

An official release said that the Chief Minister made the offer at a meeting where he reviewed the functioning of the State sports department.

He also said that steps for implementing the offer would be taken soon.

The offer assumes importance as national hockey players are boycotting the camp for World Cup and demanding increased payment for themselves.

The Indian players on Friday had boycotted the ongoing World Cup preparatory camp in Pune for an indefinite period in protest against non-payment of their dues.

The dispute, however, was resolved after a marathon meeting between six senior members of the national team and the top Hockey India officials, in Mumbai.