Hockey India says everything is fine despite losing star players

Hockey India have not yet come out with any formal statement to explain why two of their star players -- Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh -- left the ongoing national camp in Bangalore at 6am yesterday

Hockey India says everything is fine despite losing star players

Hockey India have not yet come out with any formal statement to explain why two of their star players -- Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh -- left the ongoing national camp in Bangalore at 6am yesterday.

Insiders suggest HI are deliberately delaying an announcement to suggest that everything is fine in the camp. "Any immediate announcement from them would look like a cover-up for something that has gone wrong, so the idea is to delay it a bit," said a source from the camp.

Sandeep Singh

That Hockey India (HI) secretary general Narendra Batra is in the know of the goings on, is established by the fact that both Sandeep and Sardara confirmed to MiD DAY that they have already given their reasons for their departure to HI in writing. "We have left the camp due to some personal issues and explained the same in a letter to Hockey India. While Sandeep wants to spend time with his child, I have to be home to sort out a family matter," said Sardara, easily one of the best midfielders in the country at the moment.

Sandeep said: "A few friends of mine have come down from abroad and I have to spend some time with them, so I left the camp."

Conflicting reports from the camp suggest that HI's coaching director SS Grewal passed a comment on Sardara during training, which didn't go down well with him and his Deputy Superintendent of Haryana Police friend, Sandeep. Another report claimed Sandeep had an argument with coach Michael Nobbs and was aptly supported by Sardara.

u00a0Meanwhile, the news from the camp is that stand-bys V Raghunath, also a drag-flicker, and midfielder Vikas Sharma will be roped in as replacements for Sandeep and Sardara, respectively.