PHF, team management responsible for poor show in WC: Saqlain

LAHORE: Former Pakistan hockey captain and coach Muhammad Saqlain said on Wednesday that Pak hockey team management should take responsibility of team’s dismal performance in the hockey World Cup in India.

“Our team struck pathetic show which is evident from its winless run in the pool matches in the World Cup and it seemed a group of players who lacked finer points of the game,” he told mediamen at the national hockey stadium here.

He said the team management should take responsibility of team’s dismal performance. “For this recent setback alone the team management is not responsible, Pakistan Hockey Federation is also responsible for pushing the national sport at the lowest ebb,” said the former Olympian. “Team’s poor show has written a dark chapter in history of country’s hockey by not winning a single tie, first time in the hockey of the mega event,” he said adding “Our teams performance was similar to a the level of a club team”.

Saqlain said players played up to their average potential as they are not being trained and groomed on modern lines.“PHF has failed to provide conducive environment and the necessary facilities to the players which is why it (tams) displayed average performance in the elite hockey activity,” said Saqlain. The former Pakistan captain said hockey has progressed a lot in recent years and the European countries have established themselves as the top notch of the game by providing most modern coaching and training facilities to their respective sides.

“Belgium which thrashed Pakistan 5-0 in cross over match for the quarter finals of the Cup was not known at the hockey scene a decade ago now it has emerged as a force to reckon with at international hockey whereas Pakistan the former masters of the game are even struggling to beat Asian team like Malaysia,” he asserted. He said Pakistan is rich in hockey talent but the wrong and anti hockey polices have put the game in shambles and in the given circumstances Pakistan stands nowhere at international level, not event in top ten position and future of the game in the country is in darkness.

He said right coaching from the foreign experts and provision of needed facilities and payment of players’ allowances are the only solution to lift the game out of present gloom. He appealed to the country’s highest authorities to look into the present hockey crisis and to take remedial measures to ensure a better tomorrow of the game.