No funds or safety, Pak hockey in limbo
BHUBANESWAR: There are no signs of respite for Pakistan hockey, going through its worst financial crises in recent years that has jeopardised the national squad’s exposure-cum-training plans, as none of the European teams are willing to travel to the country due to safety concerns.
Doyer Wiert, the International hockey federation’s (FIH) competition committee chairman, said things looked bleak for Pakistan as far as hosting any European side was concerned. “Due to the prevailing situation, it’s uncertain whether the governments of leading hockey playing nation like Netherlands or Germany would allow their teams to play hockey on Pakistan soil,” said the former Dutch international. In fact, FIH has no plans of hosting any international event in Pakistan in the near future.
A former Pakistan hockey stalwart and chief coach Shahnaz Sheikh is anxious for competitions with European sides to lift the current standard of his team. “If foreign teams travel to Pakistan, it would be less expensive,” he said, referring to the current financial crisis in Pakistan hockey.
NO EXPOSURE
“We have not played against a European team in the last 18 months. That is one of the major reasons for a not-so-encouraging performance in the Champions Trophy.” Pakistan did, finally, in this tournament and the result was disappointing. They lost 1-2 to Belgium and then were walloped 2-8 by England.
While other top hockey nations, including India, have refused to travel to Pakistan, its cashstrapped national body can’t make plans to travel abroad either. “Travelling for an exposure trip is unaffordable at the moment,’’ said a Pakistan team official.
Although Sheikh refuted speculation that problems due to lack of funds has hit Pakistan’s performance in Bhubaneswar, the body language of the players said it all. The coach doesn’t have proper footwear to enter the turf, and the players have struggled due to lack of preparation.
Skipper Muhammad Imran attributed the poor results to the fact that Pakistan are a young team. Wiert, who represented the Dutch team in the first edition of the Champion Trophy, held in Lahore in 1978, recalled how things were different then.