The Pakistan hockey team finished second at the recent FIH Nations Cup, played in Malaysia. It could be termed an encouraging result, but not an outstanding one.

The Nations Cup serves as the qualifier for the FIH’s flagship event, the Pro League. Started in 2019, the FIH Pro League is contested annually by the top nine national teams. In 2022, the FIH Nations Cup was introduced for teams outside the top nine. The winner qualifies for the next edition of the Pro League, replacing the team finishing last in the Pro League.

At the 2025 Nations Cup, Pakistan (ranked 15th) played five matches, winning only one — against Japan (ranked 18th) — losing twice to New Zealand (ranked 9th), and drawing against Malaysia (ranked 12th) and France (ranked 10th). Note: Pakistan won the semi-final against France in a shoot-out. A match decided on a shoot-out is considered a draw for the records.

That said, the players and the coaches deserve credit, considering the circumstances. Even the players’ daily allowances were not paid to them by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) — not only for this tournament but also for two recent training camps.

After its modest Nations Cup success, Pakistan may have a shot at participating in the FIH’s flagship Pro League. That would certainly be a remarkable turnaround for Pakistan hockey’s declining fortunes, but certain concrete steps will need to be taken for that to happen

All this compelled the team captain Ammad Butt to protest right in the middle of the Nations Cup. The coaching staff and officials have also been deprived of their daily allowances.

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) immediately took notice. Director General PSB Yasir Peerzada retorted, “The PSB fulfilled every demand of the PHF, which cost around nine million in Pakistan rupees.” The DG PSB claimed that the PHF told the Sports Board in writing that it had sufficient funds. Hence, the unpaid daily allowances are the federation’s fault and no one else’s.

This controversy got overshadowed by the news that New Zealand, the winners of the Nations Cup, might not be able to........

© Dawn (Magazines)