PHF bosses leave to meet FIH officials in Dubai

KARACHI: PHF president Khalid Khokhar and secretary Shahbaz Ahmed departed for Dubai on Sunday night to meet the top officials of the FIH and various federations.

The PHF high officials will meet the FIH chief Narinder Batra and other high officials to discuss the issues related to Pakistan hockey. They will seek their help and guidance for the revival of international hockey in Pakistan. They will also seek to ensure Pakistan’s participation in World Cup 2018 which is scheduled in India.

Pakistan could not participate in the Junior World Cup in 2016 which was held in India as the players and the officials were not issued visas in time. The PHF will brief the FIH about the planned Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) and seek its guidance to make the event successful as it wants international stars to participate in it.

The PHF bosses will thank the FIH for the inclusion of Pakistan in Pro Hockey League and supporting the nine-a-side tournament next month in which 11 foreign goalkeepers will participate.

It is expected that the PHF bosses will also meet the high officials of various countries who will gather in Dubai. They will invite their teams to Pakistan to play bilateral series, sources said. Pakistan hockey is passing through a very tough period of its history. The Green-shirts failed to qualify for the World Cup 2014, and Rio Olympics 2016. Pakistan hockey authorities, therefore, want to make the country’s participation in the next World Cup certain by taking up the issue with the highest officials of international hockey.

There is a feeling in Pakistan hockey fraternity that the FIH has not played its role to make Pakistan’s participation in all important events possible. The sources told ‘The News’ that the PHF had finally decided to communicate its problems to the FIH president to make the issue transparent and inform the hockey-playing countries what excesses Pakistan has suffered in the recent past at the hands of India.

The sources further said that the PHF high-ups will also discuss with the FIH other developments in Pakistan hockey and invite them to Pakistan during the tour of World Hockey XI in October. They will seek the help of the FIH to restore international hockey in Pakistan.