PHF must go to international court: Samiullah

KARACHI: Pakistan’s former captain Samiullah said on Tuesday Pakistan’s ouster from the Junior World Cup was extremely disappointing.

He termed it a great loss for Pakistan hockey and suggested that the PHF should go to international sports court to prevent any further “one-sided decisions by FIH”.

He told ‘The News’ that FIH’s dubious role was exposed, particularly because “FIH’s new president Narindar Batra is an Indian. But we did not expect FIH to go all out in India’s favour and expel Pakistan from the Junior World Cup.

“Pakistan players had been training with devotion,” he said.

Samiullah said that PHF should take the nation into confidence about this issue. He said that Pakistan’s senior team would have to play Asia Cup 2017 to qualify for World Cup 2018, and both events are to be held in India.  “PHF must decide now how it would tackle if India created such a hurdle again,” he said.