The prospects for a revival of Pakistan’s national sport, hockey, appear dim. Recent developments have cast a shadow over the sport, including the revelation that the national team travelled to China for the Asian Champions Trophy on borrowed tickets. Further complicating matters, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has imposed lifetime bans on three players and a physiotherapist.
PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid confirmed that players Abdul Rahman, Ihtisham Aslam, Murtaza Yaqub, and physiotherapist Waqas received lifetime bans. The bans were issued after these individuals travelled abroad without notifying the federation and subsequently applied for political asylum.
Mujahid detailed that the banned individuals had initially travelled with the team to the Netherlands and Poland for the Nations Cup before returning to Pakistan. They then travelled abroad again. The PHF has requested the Ministry of Interior to cancel their passports and has notified relevant departments.
Read: Pakistan’s Hockey Team Travels China on Borrowed Tickets
The exact destination of the players and the physiotherapist remains unclear, though they left the country after declining an invitation to a training camp, citing family commitments as a pretext.
Adding to the federation’s challenges, PHF President Tariq Bagti disclosed in an interview that borrowed tickets funded the team’s recent trip to China. Despite these setbacks, there is hope that the national team will perform robustly in the Asian Champions Trophy against higher-ranked teams like India.
