New Delhi/Pune:
He does not want to crack the whip as of now but Hockey India President AK Mattoo on Monday said the option of suspending the players remains open if the payment row is not resolved.
A meeting between the agitating players, who have pulled out of the World Cup preparatory camp, is on in Pune where Ikram Khan has been rushed to talk to the players.
Mattoo is miffed with the players' for not keeping their promise of resuming training after the patch up in New Delhi on Saturday.
"If you ask me it is an option. I can use it today, tomorrow or any other day but I don't want this to happen," Mattoo told reporters when asked if suspending the players is an option for Hockey India.
Indian hockey team mentally shattered: Hockey India officialEarlier, HI representative Ikram Khan reached Pune to negotiate with the players, who are protesting the non-payment of their dues and incentives for their 2009 performances.
HI had last night accused the players of blackmailing the federation and holding the nation to ransom but Khan hoped a compromise would be reached.
"I think there will be a compromise soon. They will listen to us and I am 100 per cent sure that the matter will be sorted out. I am going to meet the players right now," he told media in Pune.
"I interacted with them yesterday. They are not satisfied with the incentives and the grade system that we are planning and all this will be worked out soon. The players are very clear about what they want and that is fair enough. The only thing is the timing and how they have gone about it," Khan added.
The Maharashtra Hockey Association official, however, insisted that boycotting a national camp was not right way to assert demands.
"They should not have boycotted the camp. They should respect their coaches, after all they are very senior players. They should start their practice and the other process will continue," he said.