Pakistan unlucky as France replaces Canada in Pro League

ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan still awaits clearance from the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to play the FIH Pro League, the international body has added France to the already finalised list of countries.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has been trying hard to get into the professional league after the inaugural edition mess up where Pakistan failed to honour their commitments.

“We have expressed the desire to be part of the league but are still waiting for FIH green signal,” a PHF official said.

He added that Pakistan deserved reentry into the league considering the history and services of the game.

France was added to the list as Canada eventually pulled out due to Covid-related issues, FIH had contacted the next best teams, according to the FIH World Rankings, to invite one of them to replace Canada.

France have accepted the invitation and, as the highest-ranked team having done so, will join the global home-and-away league — ‘Hockey at its Best’ — for this season.

Australia and New Zealand, who are not playing the current season due to Covid-related international travel constraints, are expected to come back for the fourth edition (2022-2023).

The French team will play their first match on February 8 against India, in Potchefstroom (South Africa). France will also host the Paris 2024 Olympic events in 2 years’ time.

“It is great news that France are joining the FIH Hockey Pro League for the current season. As hosts of the next Olympic Games, being part of such a top-flight competition involving the best teams in the world can only be a positive move for the French team as well as for the growth of hockey in the country”, FIH CEO Thierry Weil commented.