Pakistan failed to qualify for next year’s Hockey World Cup after losing to Japan. After that, the former stars turned against the Federation.
They won three gold medals in Olympic hockey. Won the World Cup of Hockey four times. They have won the Champions Trophy three times. They have won the most eight gold medals in the Asian Games. A hen Pakistan failed to qualify for next year’s Hockey World Cup. After that, the former hockey players called for massive changes in the Pakistan Hockey Federation. They complain that the officials of the federation are busy picking sugarcane without thinking about the development of hockey in the country. This is the result of this problem.
The statistics of Pakistan, one of the strongest hockey countries in Asia and the world, are not good in the last few years. They failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time in 2014. Despite qualifying in 2018, Pakistan finished in twelfth place. They will not be able to play next year either. In 2016, Pakistan failed to qualify for the Olympics for the first time. The next time they did not qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Pakistan did not play the 2016 Champions Trophy in London. Even though they played in 2018, they finished in sixth place.
Pakistan drew 1-1 with India in the first match of this year’s Asia Cup. They beat Indonesia 13-0 in the second match. But in the last match, Pakistan lost to Japan by 2-3. On the other hand, Pakistan was knocked out of the Asia Cup as India beat Indonesia 16-0. Along with that, their hopes of playing the World Cup in India next year also ended.
After this bad result, former stars demanded the resignation of Pakistan Hockey Federation president Khalid Sajjad Khokar and coach Khwaja Junaid. Samiullah, the former captain of the team raised the question, “We are failing to qualify for the World Cup. Where is Pakistan hockey going?”
Another former captain Ishlauddin said, “How Pakistan hockey will improve is not being looked at. From the infrastructure to the practice, everything is going on the old way. As a result, Pakistan is lagging behind other countries.” Former hockey player Hasan Sardar said, ”Even in Asia, we have to lose to relatively weak countries. As long as power is not given in the hands of competent administrators, the development of Pakistan hockey is not possible.
