Click to play videoPune: It was a show of strength by the Indian hockey team in Pune a day after CNN-IBN reported a revolt was brewing against Chief Coach Jose Brasa. The Indian team trained under intense media scrutiny and then, out came Brasa with his repartee.
"Maybe some players have been dropped out and they are very angry and are talking bad things, but you (media) are very irresponsible spreading lies like the players are boycotting the camp," he said.
Brasa says everyone is attending the camp barring the injured Sandeep Singh.
CNN-IBN had reported on Wednesday that six players did not turn up for the camp in protest.
However, if all the allegations are false as Brasa claims, then one is forced to wonder why Hockey India President A K Mattoo airdashed to Pune on Thursday morning.
CNN-IBN has learnt that Mattoo spoke to the entire coaching staff and then met every player personally.
"There have been some misunderstandings and it's a question of communication. If you communicate things well and if the person receives the communication, then there should be no problem," Mattoo said.
Senior hockey India officials had told CNN-IBN on Wednesday that they were fed up with Brasa making excuses all the time.
"We don't have a proper cover from the Government, hockey India to do things properly. If this continues, then it will be very difficult for us to get out of the 12th position in the world," Brasa said.
With Hockey India stepping in to defuse the crisis one hopes that the attention of the team gets back to more important matters at hand - the Champions Challenge Tournament in Argentina in December and then the World Cup in Delhi in March 2010.
(With inputs from Chandrakant Patil in Pune)
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