Future sports policies depend on TFS findings, says minister

ISLAMABAD: As the Pakistan Hockey Federation is weighing its options to pull out of the newly launched FIH Pro League on one pretext or the other, Inter Provincial Coordination Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza has said that the government would take its next step only after the Task Force on Sports (TFS) finalises its recommendations.

Taking to ‘The News’, the IPC minister said the task force’s recommendations would be key to formulating future sports policies. “Until the task force finalises its recommendations, the ministry will not take any decision regarding sports,” she said.

To a question regarding PHF official’s press conference on Tuesday in which he said Pakistan’s participation in the FIH Pro League depended on the government grant, she said all future moves were dependent on the TFS’s recommendations. “The PHF can ask for grant from the provinces which are now looking after the ministry of sports.”

Only last month, the Sindh government gave the PHF Rs120 million. Since then the national team only crossed the border by road for the World Cup in which they finished a poor 12th.

“The IPC Ministry has written a letter to the PHF with a direction to furnish all details of the teams’ performances in the last 3-4 years. We want to know if their performance justifies the grant they got from the federal government,” the minister said.

‘The News’ has learnt that the federal government alone gave grants of over Rs450 million to the PHF in the last three years.

This amount is besides the grants given by provincial governments, other sports boards, private firms and the money the federation receives as rent of shops and facilities at the Hockey Club of Pakistan.

The IPC Ministry had also asked the Auditor General of Pakistan to conduct special/forensic audit of 14 sports federations including the PHF. That process is already underway.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Lahore, the PHF’s Associate Secretary Ayaz Mahmood said that Pakistan’s participation in the FIH’s Pro League would only be possible if the federation gets funds from the government.

“The present set up of the federation has been functioning for the last three and a half years. In this period, the PHF received a total government grant of Rs54 crore and 20 lac — 32 crore from the federal government, 22 crore from the Sindh government and 20 lac from CM Punjab,” he claimed.

The breakup of the PHF expenditure was also presented to the media persons.

“Presently, we only have Rs1.75 crore in the kitty. For our first Pro League assignment in Argentina, almost 3 crore is required. For the entire Pro League, Rs10-12 crore is needed,” Ayaz said.

He added: “In case of non-participation, the FIH can impose a ban on Pakistan’s participation in the international events apart from inflicting a fine.”