Hockey players decide to join foreign leagues

KARACHI: Some players of the national hockey team have decided to participate in professional leagues in other countries if PHF fails to give a plan for participation in the qualifying rounds of Olympics 2016, ‘The News’ has learnt.
All PHF plans about training the Green Shirts and their international hockey matches are in jeopardy due to lack of funds with PHF, sources said.
The issue would not be resolved till the PM Nawaz Sharif’s approval, they added.
The sources said that the players had been busy in domestic hockey events, including the national championship and the COAS Cup. They would participate in the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup, organised by Pakistan Customs, from February 7 to 11 in Karachi.
The players have not received salaries and other benefits for one year and a half. Besides, they have also not been paid prize money for silver medal in Asian Games 2014, silver medal in Champions Trophy 2014 and gold medal in Asian Champions Trophy 2012.
After the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup, the players would be free for PHF-organised training or international matches. Pakistan are to play Sultan Azlan Shah hockey tournament in March.
The sources said that if PHF managed to resolve the financial issues, the players would cancel their professional league plans. They would have no option but to play in professional leagues in the other case.
PHF has been informed by the ministry of IPC that the Green-shirts would meet the PM on February 11. PHF hopes to get the financial issues resolved in this meeting.
A senior player said that their meeting with the PM had been postponed at least thrice. “Now we hope that this time the meeting will be held and our financial issues will be resolved,” he said.
PHF is confident that the meeting with the PM, who is the patron-in-chief of PHF, will be held on time and funds will be approved to run the national game.