Pakistan Hockey has burst into the limelight, both on and off the field.

Although not much was right over the last 15 years, the recent events and their consequences were largely unforeseen. It started immediately after Pakistan’s participation in the second leg of the Pro League in Australia. The results weren’t unexpected. Against Germany and Australia, ranked third and fifth respectively, the then 14th-ranked Pakistan lost all four matches.

The issue of non-payment of players’ dailies had become the norm. But this time, as soon as the players returned to Pakistan, they complained of poor treatment. Captain Ammad Shakeel Butt blamed the team management and the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), stating that there were no hotel bookings for them on their arrival in Australia. The players were roaming the streets for hours. Later, they were lodged in substandard accommodations, where the rooms had to be shared between four or five players.

“We had to prepare our own food, and clean rooms, utensils and toilets. In all previous tours, meals were arranged through official hotel bookings. This is the first time in history that we were told to manage our own food within the daily allowance,” the team captain said.

He simply declared that the players wouldn’t work with the team management: head coach Tahir Zaman, assistant coaches Usman Sheikh and Zeeshan Ashraf and video analyst Nadeem Lodhi. It set alarm bells ringing. Pakistan had to depart for Ismailia, Egypt, in less than a week for the all-important World Cup qualifiers.

Unable to feature in the FIH World Cup’s previous two editions, the Pakistan hockey team have finally qualified for the next one, to be played in Belgium and the Netherlands in August. It’s been a rocky road but it’s a first step…

Unable to feature in the FIH World Cup’s previous two editions, the Pakistan hockey team have finally qualified for the next one, to be played in Belgium and the Netherlands in August. It’s been a rocky road but it’s a first step…

Finally, the powers that be,........

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