close
Friday March 29, 2024

FEDERATIONS GET WARNING: Mani, Fehmida discuss task force findings

By Our Correspondent
January 04, 2019

ISLAMABAD: Task Force on Sports Chairman Ehsan Mani called on the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and other Olympic sports bodies to tighten up their system in order to get the required finances to run the bodies on their own and in an effective way.

The Task Force members are expected to meet Prime Minister Imran Khan for one final briefing within next few days before making their recommendations public. “We have already sought time to meet prime minister. Once he returns home from Turkey, we are expecting meeting with the premier.”

Talking to ‘The News’ following Task Force on Sports meeting with the Minister of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr Fahmida Mirza on Thursday, Ehsan Mani said findings were discussed in length and breadth. “The Task Force discussed the report finalised recently with the minister and considered all the relevant aspects. It was a comprehensive meeting in which all the matter pertaining to the Olympic sports including hockey were discussed before one final meeting with the prime minister.”

Apart from Ehsan Mani who heads the Task Force, the meeting was also attended by IPC secretary Jamil Ahmad and Ali Raza (legal expert).

Ehsan Mani said there was a need to streamline the prevailing sports system in the country. “There is absolutely no prevailing system in sports in the country which has resulted in total chaos. Even cricket administration requires more professionalism and we are working on that.”

However, in all sports other than cricket, there was no administrative set-up resulting in poor functioning.

“The sports system in Pakistan requires collective efforts and cooperate system. So far the sports system is individually controlled which is fetching no results whatsoever. There is a need to broaden up the avenues. Every official in the federations should be responsible of his own work. You need a better, collective and professional management of the federations including hockey.”

He said that the PCB constitution has no room for doling out money to other sports including hockey.

“I am not in favour of any such move. There is no constitutional provision which allows cricket board to give money to federations including hockey. Every federation will have to stand on its own feet in order to get positive results internationally and nationally and on financial front.”

Ehsan Mani admitted that there was need to improve club and school cricket in Pakistan in order to fetch better results. “I think the club system in the country is not up to the mark. We are struggling to have a better school cricket system in the country. That is the reason we are struggling to have better results at junior level.”