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The Pakistan Hockey Thread

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As stated above why is pakistani hockey facing a downturn. it used to beat india in hockey cricket squash and what not at other times. but nowadays not only is india able to defeat pakistan twice in world cup t20s (tailor made for pak) but india able to beat pak women's team in cricket, in hockey india beat pak. and not to mention all kinds of multi sports events, like asian games, pak came nowhere close to winning anything. india did better than pak though.
why is investment into such sports infrastrucutre so low that it's lowre than india's?

any thoughts?
 
Because people and media don't support them and they don't care. Hockey is (or was) the national sport but after Pakistan won the WC it started going down. Plus I think they also changed the style of play, but not sure

Is the thread about getting beaten by India, because they have beaten us before in cricket and hockey, or general decline in hockey where we find it hard even to get to semi finals of the WC
 
The tour of China is coming up where the team will play 5 test matches and after that there is one other tournament before the Olympics.

...and as always things aren't looking too good and the team is likely to fail in the Olympics
 
Pakistan's greatest hockey players.

Among the team sports it is quite clear that Pakistan have had the most success in field hockey yet even a big sports fan like myself has never really read or heard enough about the great Pakistani hockey players. I just know that PAK won the olympic gold medal in 1960, 68 and 84 and have also won 4 or 5 world championships under the likes of Shehbaz Sr, Samiullah etc but never really knew who the greatest player of each era were.

So hockey fans(calling 12th man) who would you say were the top 4 or 5 best hockey players to come out of Pakistan?
 
The only hockey player I know of is Sohail Abbas, I know that he was a bit of a penalty corner specialist BUT the rest of his game wasnt all that.
 
I used to know (well moreso my dad did) Shenaz Sheikh - not MT's Shano but the former captain of the team. Think he was in charge during the infamous water throwing fracas at one of the Olympic finals.
 
Geordie Ahmed said:
The only hockey player I know of is Sohail Abbas, I know that he was a bit of a penalty corner specialist BUT the rest of his game wasnt all that.
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it was bit like GB player callum giles.. good at penalty corners and rest wasnt up to scratch. since the got rid of the sub on , sub off rule. pakistan have found it more difficul tto win.
 
some I liked were

Samiullah (left out)
Islah (left in???)
Hasan Sardar (center forward)
Hanif Khan (right in)
Kalimullah (right out)
Salim Sherwani (goalkeeper)
Shenaz Sheikh (???)

Can't recall Shenaz Sheikh's position. Could be right out and Kalimullah replaced him.

old clip of 1978 WC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HBXKaZYINQ
 
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Obviously not all that familiar with Pak hockey in the 1970/80's (when we were really successful), but of the hockey I’ve seen Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi are two very gifted players with all round abilities.
 
well I got some positions wrong according to this article.

http://pakavenue.com/webdigest/sports/article_001.htm

Plus some more names in it. very few I remember like Akhtar Rasool, Moinuddin.

A video titled "Wizard' is in a collection of sports library of Cologne, Germany. This video is a collection of Hasan's goals.
anyone seen this? Hasan Sardar with West Germany's Bloucher??? were the best at center forward
 
12thMan said:
well I got some positions wrong according to this article.

http://pakavenue.com/webdigest/sports/article_001.htm

Plus some more names in it. very few I remember like Akhtar Rasool, Moinuddin.

A video titled "Wizard' is in a collection of sports library of Cologne, Germany. This video is a collection of Hasan's goals.
anyone seen this? Hasan Sardar with West Germany's Bloucher??? were the best at center forward
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thanks man! Thats a very helpful link.

"Like Shahid Ali Khan, Mansoor Ahmed also played for Pakistan for a long period having made his debut in 1985 and he is still in contention!

He too performed heroically on important occasions e.g. helping Pakistan win both the semi-final and final of the 1994 World Cup almost single-handedly in a penalty strokes shoot out. He was also named the world's best goalies. "

I remember listening to the match on radio while on our way back for Gujranwala. I still remember the commentator's words
" ...aur yeh Pakistan nay jeet liya ha Alamee cup, Delmee kee galat push Mansoor nay rookee aur Pakistan bun gaya haa alamee champion" :19:
 
I don't know which player were Fifty50 talking about here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h50uCKnHyBA
These chracters did pick on hockey team at that time because it was popular sport. The same people have done sketches on cricket - one I remember was umpiring and another one unless I am dreaming was a batsman giving his ciggerate to another player to hold while he goes and bat. They did 1-2 other hockey related things too. So it is possible that some hockey player was going down and had to be promoted by some people
 
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Not really into Pak hockey but heard that Hassan Sardar was an excellent player from bygone years.
 
I have no great knowledge about hockey but I have many times heard my dad calling Samiullah a 'flying horse' he says that whenever he used to get a ball it used to go straight in the goal. It was very hard for the opposition team to control him.

At once Pakistan was World Champion in 4 sports (Cricket, Hockey, Snooker and Squash)

and today every sport has gone down in Pakistan :(
 
Seems like Pakistan's hockey isnt the only South Asian teams that is in decline.

India fail to make the Olympics :-

Great Britain's men will play at this summer's Beijing Olympics after beating India 2-0 in the final of the qualifying tournament in Chile.
Britain won all six qualifying games to progress, while eight-times gold medalists India failed to qualify for the first time since 1928.

The damage was done inside 10 minutes as Barry Middleton swept home and Richard Mantell's flick made it 2-0.

"We got our just rewards today," said GB team manager Pete Nicholson.

"The result was the consequence of six months of very hard work and a professional approach to this tournament.

"This was always going to be a tough match but the boys worked hard and got exactly what they deserved. We're delighted."

The men emulate Britain's women, who had already qualified for Beijing.

The event in Chile was the second of three qualifying events.

GB join New Zealand, China, Netherlands, South Korea, Canada, South Africa, Spain, Belgium, Pakistan and Australia in the 12-team Olympic competition.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olympics/hockey/7286744.stm
 
Thats strange because IND won the Asia cup last year.
Must be a very embarrassing moment in the history of Indian sports.
 
I have seen Kaleem Ullah and Hasan Sarder play several times. They are one of the best all time. When ever, they had the ball it was like a sure goal or some spectacular moves. The ball was glued to the hockey stick as it seemed. Was inspiration for few seasonal hockey players like me. Quite a few India-Pak match was held in BD. Asia cup and others in 80's. Shabaz Ahmed was good too.

Another great player was Akthar Rasool. I think he captained a National side.
 
Kaleemullah was Samiullah's younger brother. They were both good but for me Samiullah was better as left out is harder position to play.

BTW: in my earlier post the WC I meant was 1992 Cricket WC as cricket got a lot more attention after that. Pakistan hockey was doing okay at that time (I think) and the players lasted 4-5 years so the performances might be there after the WC. But the new generation/team was not there and quite a few people (fans) don't really care. You can see that by responses you get here when a non cricket tournament is going on. Media is not there to promote it
 
Shahbaz Sr was a sight to see when he had the ball you were sure to witness a cool field move.
 
PlanetPakistan said:
Thats strange because IND won the Asia cup last year.
Must be a very embarrassing moment in the history of Indian sports.
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I don think Indians or Pakistanis have the right to complain about decline of a sport which they don watch ...I was listening to radio today ...... a lot of people who had called wer abusing the players , but wen the RJ asked who the captain was ....not one person knew ! :9:

loosing to GB was a surprise , cos we had a really good team this time .....we have had a really good year , beating some good teams with huge margins...but for one off day !
 
jusarrived said:
I don think Indians or Pakistanis have the right to complain about decline of a sport which they don watch ...I was listening to radio today ...... a lot of people who had called wer abusing the players , but wen the RJ asked who the captain was ....not one person knew ! :9: !
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:)) TBH i didn't know the Pakistani captain's name until last week. :15:
jusarrived said:
loosing to GB was a surprise , cos we had a really good team this time .....we have had a really good year , beating some good teams with huge margins...but for one off day !
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yeah they crushed Korea in the Asia cup final so these 2 defeats to GB is certainly a big surprise.
 
news of Pakistani hockey....

They were playing in a 4 nation tournament in Ireland and have beaten Canada in finals 3-2 in the finals :83:
 
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Watching matchbox on GEO and they are talking to some hockey players. Two things I noticed:

- The players mostly talk about jobs. Some are saying government should give them jobs

- In a report, they said they said there are not even a dozen astroturf grounds. In Karachi there are 4 grounds with astroturfs but only one good enough for international matches. They showed one or two grounds and there were rips in the turfs and some place nails popping out.

Well grounds have to be improved. But I also think that players do need to go to schools and get a degree. They can still play hockey. All the olympians in other sports in countries are not just playing and making money of it but some do go to school sametime and after they are done with the sport they are working in regular jobs.

All the people can do is promote sports in schools, have some grounds and that is about it. If players are only in it for money then they are in wrong sport or have wrong attitude about sports. In late 70s and early 80s when Pakistan was on top the other top teams (not including India) Australia, Germany and Holland are still there and I remember some player was a doctor some player a teacher. They maintained the standard because they love to play the game (my guess) plus have support in school - competitions and grounds
 
According to Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), it is challenging to ameliorate the team until or unless the youth is not polished and educated from "grass-root level".

PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Sr stated, “There should be a proper budget set for PHF so that it can manage its affairs all by itself,”.

He also added, “The youth must be spotted and picked up from grass-root level. They must be then trained in these centres and given proper education as illiterate cannot survive in international sports,”

He believes that there is a need for about 4-5 hockey centres in Pakistan and that the federation must be able to ensure that the players are provided with proper nutrition as per their requirements.

On the poor performance of Pakistan's team against Canada in Champions Trophy and series, he said that how was it possible for them to win as they ranked 13th; “Pakistan is ranked 13th in International Hockey Federation (FIH) rankings while Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Netherlands and India are in top six,”.

He further added, “On the other hand Pakistan development squad that lost the series to Canada was Pakistan junior team playing against Canadian senior team. The Pak-Canada series was all sponsored by our Canadian counterpart and had nothing to do with FIH rankings. Our junior team went to Canada for international exposure then why so much criticism,”

He highlighted, “At our time players had permanent jobs in several departments,” and that today, jobs should be provided to the players in order for them to earn a living.

https://nation.com.pk/05-Jul-2018/there-should-be-proper-budget-set-for-hockey-federation-phf
 
Asian Games 2018: Pakistan hockey players threaten to boycott event over non-payment of dues by PHF

New Delhi, July 31: Uncertainty hung over the Pakistan hockey team's participation in the upcoming Asian Games after the players threatened a pullout owing to non-payment of daily allowances for past six months.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said it was pinning its hopes on sponsors and a new government, expected to be led by one of the country's biggest sporting icons, Imran Khan. PHF has not paid the national team daily allowances for the last six months, the total now amounting to more than Rs 8 lakh per player. They have played domestic as well as international tournaments like the Champions trophy during this period.

"We have decided that we will not travel to Indonesia if our dues are not paid. Our team has to depart on August 12 and we will wait till 10th. Then only we will decide about our participation," captain Mohammad Rizwan senior said from Karachi.

When asked if the players will boycott training, he replied in the negative. "We are training at the national camp in Karachi and will continue. Our preparation is good and we have a good bunch of experienced and young players. You can expect exciting hockey from us," he said.

The Asian Games are slated to be held in Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2. The Pakistan hockey team is in Pool B, which includes Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Oman and hosts Indonesia.

Sitting over the issue for months, the PHF still managed to sound optimistic. "We have talked to our sponsors and are confident that the issue will be resolved in the coming week. Our players are determined to play and they are not greedy," said Shahbaz Ahmed, secretary general of PHF and a former captain. "Sports were not in the priority list of previous government and they have held our grants which is not released yet. We hope that the new government led by former cricket captain Imran Khan will take care of our needs," he said.

"Imran Khan is a dynamic person and I will personally meet him after his swearing-in as next PM. We will also request for special allocation for hockey in government's annual budget. Till now, we have been getting supplementary grant, which is like peanut," he added.

https://www.mykhel.com/hockey/asian...-threaten-boycott-non-payment-phf-095505.html
 
The Hockey federation should be disbanded and revamped with new faces.Hockey may be a dying sport,but it is also our national sport.
 
jusarrived said:
I don think Indians or Pakistanis have the right to complain about decline of a sport which they don watch ...I was listening to radio today ...... a lot of people who had called wer abusing the players , but wen the RJ asked who the captain was ....not one person knew ! :9:

loosing to GB was a surprise , cos we had a really good team this time .....we have had a really good year , beating some good teams with huge margins...but for one off day !
Click to expand...

still holds true and I posted this 10 years back ? lol
 
Dejected national hockey coach Oltmans quits post, PHF denies reports

LAHORE: The seasoned Dutch coach of Pakistan hockey team Roelant Oltmans resigned from his post here on Saturday citing problems with the current environment of the game and his inability to bring good results.

President Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Sajjad Khokhar, when contacted, however denied the reports and said Oltmans has left for home to attend some family matter and they are in constant touch with him and want him to continue till the World Cup. “We are going to inform you within the next two days about the exact situation but Oltmans is very much with us,” he said.

However, the Dutch official’s tweet about parting ways from national hockey team pretty much spilled the beans.

Oltmans had signed a two-year agreement with the PHF in February this year. While the Pakistan team failed to click during his short tenure, he did succeed in reducing the margin of defeats of the national team. However, the national team’s pathetic performance in the recent Asian Games in Jakarta came as a huge disappointment and drew calls of an overhaul from the hockey circles all over. Oltmans, 63, first joined the Pakistan team in 2004 but he failed to earn any big title for Pakistan except a gold medal at the Asian Games. For his second term, Oltmans joined Pakistan team on March 7 this year and his first assignment was the Champions Trophy which was held in London. Pakistan finished at the bottom in the six-nation contest followed by another dismal show in the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia where Pakistan ended up a poor seventh after managing tto beat only Canada.

Later on, a letter from Oltmans which has perhaps been addressed to the players rather than the PHF top brass, explained his point of view to some extent.

“Dear Gentlemen, after long reflections on the past half year, I have decided to resign as head coach of the Pakistan Team,” said the letter. “I’m responsible for the performance and the results of the team. But I feel that the circumstances at present doesn’t create an environment where we can get the best of the team.

“I don’t think the PHF has the possibility to change the circumstances to a level that is required from my point of view. I thank you all for your contribution and I will always remember the past half year.

“Hope to see you in the future and don’t hesitate to contact me whenever you feel. Kind regards, Roelant Oltmans.”

With the Hockey World Cup just three months away, Pakistan is facing a stiff challenge and even if a new head coach joins in, he is unlikely to do wonders with the national side which is performing well below the required standards.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1434365
 
LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Super League (PHSL) has become a victim of delay once again as the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) continues to revive the national game of the country.

PHF had announced that PHSL would be held next year in January from 12-19 and had even requested for tenders for the tournament.

However, according to sources, the finalisation of the tournament is in disarray due to a lack of funds. Plans are now being made for PHSL to be held in Lahore from March 15 to 25, sources added.

Further, sources said that 12 international players have agreed to participate in the event.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/223084-pakistan-hockey-super-league-delayed-once-again
 
I didn't know we had a hockey thread that's fantastic I already made a thread about Poland which will tour Pakistan next year in April they will be sending their senior team for 3 match series

Goalkeeper Imran Butt retires from international hockey as well

In regards to the Pakistan super hockey league I hope it kicks off their was talks about this before as well
 
Reports have been made that The names of Pakistan hockey team will most likely be the following

Karachi Karare
Lahori Ustad
Peshawar Dilawar
Multan Sufiyan
Quetta Defenders
Islamabad but no report what their team name might be

The league will be like PSL in the sense it will have six teams from six major Pakistani cities
 
It will take a lot of effort and time to revive the Pakistani hockey from the depths it has fallen to. PHL would be a good step to begin with.
 
Pakistan will kick off his Hockey pro league campaign in febuary when they take on Argentina the 18 man squad had been named as the following


Amjad Ali (Gk) Aleem Bilal, Mubashar Ali, Rizwan Ali, Amjad Ali, Abu Bakar Mahmood, Moin Shakeel, Azfar Yaqoob, Faisal Qadir, Atif Mushtaq, Ali Shan (Captain), Atiq Arshad, Rana Waheed, Ghazanfar Ali, Shan Irshad, Ali Aziz, Junaid Manzoor

Standbys: Adeel Latif, Salman Razaq, Rana Sohail, Saran Bin Qamar, Taimoor Malik, Sami Ullah, Ammad Ud Din, Akmal Hussian Manager/head coach: Saeed Khan Coaches: Rehan Butt and Danish Kaleem.
 
We need to hold a Pakistan Hockey League or Pakistan Hockey Super League asap, international players are willing to come, its just that it keeps getting delayed due to god knows what. Thats the only thing that will make this Board some badly needed revenue.
 
MenInG said:
LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Super League (PHSL) has become a victim of delay once again as the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) continues to revive the national game of the country.

PHF had announced that PHSL would be held next year in January from 12-19 and had even requested for tenders for the tournament.

However, according to sources, the finalisation of the tournament is in disarray due to a lack of funds. Plans are now being made for PHSL to be held in Lahore from March 15 to 25, sources added.

Further, sources said that 12 international players have agreed to participate in the event.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/223084-pakistan-hockey-super-league-delayed-once-again
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shaaik said:
It will take a lot of effort and time to revive the Pakistani hockey from the depths it has fallen to. PHL would be a good step to begin with.
Click to expand...

Any updates?
 
no money..the country is teetering close to bankruptcy. The WOT cost us 250 billion dollars and over 100k casualties. The fact the country is still on one piece is a miracle in itself. Hockey unfortunately will have to wait its turn and look to generate some income for itself somehow. In the meantime lets hope they can fight like tigers and give us some good results..
 
tyron_woodley said:
used to be the greatest team ever. Don't know what happened. 4 titles.
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Pakistan hockey has been going down for a while they were apart of the pro league last edition but withdrew. Around 2012 India didn't qualify for the Olympics and people thought that was the end of Indian hockey but they turned it around amazingly and credit must be given to them and their federation for implementing the right things

Pakistan hockey is a mess and also their is a huge lack on Intrest as well it can be turned around but the right things need to happen and again it won't happen over night. Pakistan missed out on the Olympics in 2016 and now for Tokyo as well.

In fact I believe Pakistan is only competing in two events this year
 
nextover666666 said:
Pakistan hockey has been going down for a while they were apart of the pro league last edition but withdrew. Around 2012 India didn't qualify for the Olympics and people thought that was the end of Indian hockey but they turned it around amazingly and credit must be given to them and their federation for implementing the right things

Pakistan hockey is a mess and also their is a huge lack on Intrest as well it can be turned around but the right things need to happen and again it won't happen over night. Pakistan missed out on the Olympics in 2016 and now for Tokyo as well.

In fact I believe Pakistan is only competing in two events this year
Click to expand...

My mistake India did qualify for 2012 Olympics but lost all their matches but still people considered it a downfall but they did the right things to turn it around .
It was the 2008 Olympics they did not qualify for
 
Reading the article the reason was in 2005 professional chairman replaced by ex players and the players didn't know how to handle the organization so domestic hockey died off
 
A summary of what happened to Pakistan

1. Astroturf fields are just not available in Pakistan while in other parts of the world, they are par for the course. This leads to players who either play on terrible pitches, or just are unable to play hockey.

2. Rule changes over years have meant that Pakistan's traditional strength, speed, agility, and movement have been neutralized. Players like Shehbaz sr. were the envy of the world because of their light frames, speed, agility, and flexibility. These players could beat offside traps based on pure speed and could dodge defenders while the Europeans and Aussies with their heavy frames were rarely good at this; there were players like Jay Stacey who had the ability but more or less these teams relied on team moves while Pakistan played on the back of individual brilliance and ability. The termination of the offside rule negated a major advantage for Pakistan.

3. Pakistan Hockey Federation has been massively a massively neglected organizations. The funds are so minimal that professional players are unable to manage their finances and have resorted to either play in leagues or totally leave the game. If my memory serves me right, to participate in some tournament PHF had to borrow money from PCB just to send a team.

4. The popularity of sport has totally plummeted over the last few decades. Back in the day there were tournaments played in Pakistan and there was some limelight on the hockey stars. It's been ages since a quality tournament has taken place in Pakistan.

5. One small place "Gojra" was a major contributor to Pakistan hockey. That place never got any government assistance or financial support. No fields were built in that place.

6. Pakistani youth are a curious case as no one really knows what's happening here. Tiny schools without playgrounds are also a massive disadvantage as the kids don't have a realistic chance to take up sport. The youth are also more interested in internet related activities and hence don't really pick up sports.

That said, the revival of hockey isn't mission impossible if someone really tries to fix a few problems. The only question is however, if there's someone willing to do the hard yards fixing management related issues.
 
Hockey should no longer be the national sport, its not that popular in Pakistan anymore. Pakistan should invest in Football and Cricket, as far as team sports go.
 
Hockey matches aren't even broadcast now... the people just aren't interested in it anymore.
 
Three Asian teams to qualify automatically in 2023 World Cup

Lahore: International Hockey Federation (FIH) has decided to include more Asian teams in the upcoming men’s 2023 Hockey World Cup in India.

Chief Executive Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) Tayyab Ikram has appreciated FIH’s decision to acknowledge the usefulness of Asian hockey.

“We have brought the Asian teams very close to feature directly in the World Cup. The number of teams has been decided after consultation and consent of all stakeholders,” he said.

“For the first time in history, three Asia Cup teams will qualify directly for the World Cup and now Pakistan has a golden chance to make a confirm spot in the competition,” he added.

Tayyab thinks that Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) needs to make the right decisions as the four-time World Cup trophy holder is capable of taking advantage of this opportunity.

It must be noted that according to the new quotas, four sides from Europe whereas three sides from Asia will feature in the tournament, while one team each from Africa and the Americas. The competition is scheduled to take place from January 13th to 29th, 2023 in Rourkela and Bhubaneswar.

https://arysports.tv/three-asian-teams-qualify-automatically-world-cup/
 
Suspended since March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, hockey is set to resume in Pakistan in August with a five-a-side domestic tournament.

After the domestic competition, the national championship in September-October will also be held at different venues in a bio-secure environment, the nation's Hockey Federation secretary Asif Bajwa told reporters. “Finally, we are set to resume hockey activities from August but in an environment where all SOPs and protocols of COVID-19 will be followed to keep the players, officials and match officials safe,” he said.

Bajwa himself had to go into quarantine in Lahore after contracting the virus, forcing the PHF office to remain shut for four months.

He also said the federation has decided to pay 30 players a one-time allowance of 30,000 rupees each to help them cope up with the prevalent economic crisis.

“Although the PHF is struggling financially, the president felt in these difficult times we needed to do something for the players,” he said.

Bajwa’s announcement to resume hockey activities came just a few days after the FIH (International Hockey Federation) announced international matches would restart in September with some matches of the Pro-League in Europe.

Bajwa added youth hockey was the future of the game and the five-a-side version would be a game-changer. The federation has decided to take it very seriously to introduce it at the school level too.

He said the FIH also has a plan to host a five-a-side World Cup and PHF has already started preparations for raising a strong team for this new format of the game. A number of Pakistani coaches attended an online course conducted by the FIH this month as well.

“The five-a-side tournament would provide great entertaining hockey like T20 cricket and hopefully it would set a new direction for the game of hockey,” said Bajwa.

Pakistan is also planning to send its junior team to the Asia Junior Cup to be held in Lucknow early next year.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/hock...gue-national-championship/article32105873.ece
 
MenInG said:
Suspended since March due to the COVID-19 outbreak, hockey is set to resume in Pakistan in August with a five-a-side domestic tournament.

After the domestic competition, the national championship in September-October will also be held at different venues in a bio-secure environment, the nation's Hockey Federation secretary Asif Bajwa told reporters. “Finally, we are set to resume hockey activities from August but in an environment where all SOPs and protocols of COVID-19 will be followed to keep the players, officials and match officials safe,” he said.

Bajwa himself had to go into quarantine in Lahore after contracting the virus, forcing the PHF office to remain shut for four months.

He also said the federation has decided to pay 30 players a one-time allowance of 30,000 rupees each to help them cope up with the prevalent economic crisis.

“Although the PHF is struggling financially, the president felt in these difficult times we needed to do something for the players,” he said.

Bajwa’s announcement to resume hockey activities came just a few days after the FIH (International Hockey Federation) announced international matches would restart in September with some matches of the Pro-League in Europe.

Bajwa added youth hockey was the future of the game and the five-a-side version would be a game-changer. The federation has decided to take it very seriously to introduce it at the school level too.

He said the FIH also has a plan to host a five-a-side World Cup and PHF has already started preparations for raising a strong team for this new format of the game. A number of Pakistani coaches attended an online course conducted by the FIH this month as well.

“The five-a-side tournament would provide great entertaining hockey like T20 cricket and hopefully it would set a new direction for the game of hockey,” said Bajwa.

Pakistan is also planning to send its junior team to the Asia Junior Cup to be held in Lucknow early next year.

https://sportstar.thehindu.com/hock...gue-national-championship/article32105873.ece
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They have to be creative to revive hockey, to make it more entertaining and fun. May be smaller ground 5-a-side game , short but fast paced game, not a bad idea.
 
Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan directed Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF)’s officials to amend constitution for the betterment of national game in the country.

In a meeting with PHF’s president Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and secretary Asif Bajwa, PM Khan, also former Pakistan’s captain, said the government will work on to gain back the lost identity of hockey. Khan, the Patron-in-Chief of PHF wants the new constitution similar to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Meanwhile, the premier also asked PHF officials to plan a league following the format of Pakistan Super League (PSL) which played an important role in restructuring Pakistan’s cricket identity across the world. PHF heads were also told to work with provincial governments to set-up elite hockey academy each in all four provinces.

On the other hand, Bajwa briefed PM Khan on their planning to lift hockey’s image in the country. “We had a useful discussion with PM Khan and we found him keen towards working for the betterment of hocket in the country,” Bajwa said.

It must be noted here that Pakistan has the most number of Hockey World Cups (4). The game has lost its identity due to politics in federation’s matters.

https://arysports.tv/pm-khan-directs-hockey-federation-follow-pcbs-structure/
 
Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has pledged Rs50 million out of the army’s welfare fund for Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), said an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release on Friday.

The PHF President Brigadier Khalid Sajjad Khokhar called on Gen Bajwa and briefed him on the steps being taken to regain the high standards of hockey in the country.

Gen Bajwa said the army had always supported sports and especially hockey.

He said this opportunity should be used to the maximum to revive hockey.

The PHF president thanked the army chief for his continued support to hockey and pledged improvement of standards of the game.

Pakistan Army had already made two Astroturf Stadiums available to PHF in Rawalpindi and Okara, the press release added.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/304949-coas-pledges-rs50-m-out-of-armys-welfare-fund-for-phf
 
LAHORE: Former hockey Olympian Tauqir Dar has appealed to Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan to not repeat the mistake of ending departmental competitions by introducing the same system in hockey, otherwise, players would be hardly found.

“The prime minister has recently indicated that the structure of hockey be built on the basis of regions instead of departments — identical to that in cricket. Ending departmental cricket has rendered many cricketers jobless forcing many of them to turn into cart-pushers in a bid to survive. I will appeal to the premier to not repeat the same mistake in hockey as lower class people are playing this game and job opportunity is the only source of motivation for them to take up this sport professionally,” said Tauqir, a member of the last Pakistan team that won Olympics in 1984.

Tauqir said: “Very few people and players have interest in hockey now. Putting an end to potential job opportunities will be a disaster for the game which is already in a deep crisis.”

It should be noted that the prime minister, in his first-ever meeting with the PHF president retired Brig Sajjad Khokhar in two years despite being patron-in-chief of the PHF, had suggested to make necessary amendments in the constitution to set up academies and to form teams on city basis for league hockey. Earlier, on the instructions of the prime minister, the Pakistan Cricket Board had abolished departmental cricket, which cut short its first-class structure from 16 teams (eight departmental and as many regional) to only six provincial teams, limiting the players count to just 192 cricketers from around 350 previously.

Tauqir said a crime of the decade was done with Pakistan hockey by not fielding a team in the first-ever introduced FIH Pro league last year.

“It was a great opportunity to keep Pakistan in the top ten teams of the world. Pakistan would have stayed in top ten teams even if they had they lost all the matches. Moreover, it would have also provided a great opportunity to play hockey with big teams like Australia, Holland, Germany and Belgium on the basis of top ten ranking.

“Pakistan’s absence from FIH Pro Hockey further brought them down on the world rankings from 13 to 17, while arch-rivals India are at 4,” he lamented.

Pakistan did not participate in Pro Hockey last year because of insufficient funds. However, after the PHF delegation’s meeting with prime minister and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, hopes are high that the PHF will get special grants from the federal government. The Army chief has already announced a grant of Rs50million.

Tauqir also advised the PHF to use the money in a better way and to make heavy investments at the grassroots level. “Only money cannot develop hockey alone. You need vision and will as well. If these three things are there, everyone can change their fate. It is high time for the PHF to increase hockey activities at the grassroots level. It should also focus on its national team players’ panel to create international activities for them,” Tauqir said.

“Eleven players of Tanvir Dar Hockey Academy got recruited in different departments when the PHF held the national junior championship last time. It shows the importance of hockey at the grassroots level,” he said.

He also suggested the PHF to make all appointments on merit instead of considering friends and relatives for key positions.

Tauqir also talked about the lack of proper coaching manual despite winning Olympics three times and World Cup four times.

“Due to different hockey manual functions, our players have become confused so as to which coaching manual to follow”, he commented.

“It is high time for the PHF to organise top level coaching courses with the help of a common coaching manual,” he concluded.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1578102
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ur" dir="rtl">ان شاءاللہ یہ جذبہ یہ جوش یہ ولولہ پھر سے پاکستان ہاکی میں آئے گا<br>ہم جیتیں گے ہم اٹھیں گے اور ہم پھر سے چھا جائیں گے<br><br>ان شاءاللہ وزیراعظم اسلامی جمہوریہ پاکستان جناب عمران خان صاحب سے جلد ملاقات ہو گی <a href="https://t.co/0I2H2wMDT0">pic.twitter.com/0I2H2wMDT0</a></p>— Sohail Abbas &#55356;&#57297;&#55356;&#56821;&#55356;&#56816; (@Sohailhockeypk) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sohailhockeypk/status/1388560682514362373?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
Olympian Naveed Alam passes away due to cancer

Lahore: Olympian and hero of the 1994 Hockey World Cup Naveed Alam passed away due to blood cancer, ARY Sports reported.

The 47-year-old Naveed was diagnosed with blood cancer at Shaukat Khanum Hospital last week where doctors estimated the treatment at Rs 4 million (40 lacs).

According to his family sources, he underwent chemotherapy last night and his health deteriorated after it. He was transferred to the intensive-care unit.

Viewing Naveed’s career, he was integral part of the national Hockey team that clinched the World Cup in Sydney in 1994. He also represented Pakistan in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

He coached Bangladesh and China Hockey team and also served as director development in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). He also served as head coach of the national team at the Beijing Olympics.

https://arysports.tv/olympian-naveed-alam-passes-away-due-to-cancer/
 
Surprised to see Pakistan not in Olympic Hockey Fixtures

Just checked the olympics hockey fixture. Had not been following hockey for past few years. Surprising to see Pakistan not in the fixtures.
Did Pakistan not qualify for Olympics ? What happened ?
 
Pakistan Hockey has gone downhill a lot. We did not qualify for 2016 Olympics as well :(
 
hoshiarpurexpress said:
just checked the olympics hockey fixture. Had not been following hockey for past few years. Surprising to see pakistan not in the fixtures.
Did pakistan not qualify for olympics ? What happened ?
Click to expand...

Capture.JPG

qed.
 
Soon we will be crying over over Cricket like our Hockey. Good thing is it may force us to pay attention to the real Sports that are in demand.
 
Shakeel Abbasi remembers the times he donned the Pakistan national hockey team jersey

Once a prolific striker of the men’s side, Abbasi now feels he made a “big mistake” in taking hockey on as a career when, he says, many options were open to him as a promising athlete.

“I made a big mistake by picking hockey over cricket. I was very good in both but I preferred our national sport [hockey]. Sometimes, I feel it was a big mistake,” Abbasi, a three-time Olympian, told Al Jazeera.

The 37-year-old seasoned centre-forward, once regarded as one of the best young strikers in world hockey, is able to just about make ends meet now by playing professional hockey leagues in England, the Netherlands and Malaysia.

“Even those leagues are not taking place due to the coronavirus pandemic. These definitely are testing times for me because one needs money to survive,” he said.

“This is happening to a player who has served his country for years, played in three Olympics, two World Cups and eight Champions Trophy tournaments. I pity the kids when I see them playing hockey.”

Abbasi, born the year Pakistan clinched the last of its three Olympic gold medals (Los Angeles 1984), won several medals while representing the national team more than 300 times from 2003 to 2014.

But such is the state of hockey in Pakistan that the former captain is not alone in his struggles.

Pakistan has suffered a shocking and continuous decline from being consistently among the top four to languishing at 18th in the latest rankings.

The Tokyo Olympics are the second consecutive time that Pakistan have missed the multi-sport event. It also failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup for the first time in history and finished a dismal 12th in the 2018 edition.

For a country that has won three Olympic golds and a record four World Cup titles, missing out on back-to-back Olympic Games is nothing less than a catastrophe for the followers.

“It’s heartbreaking to see Pakistan hockey in its current state,” hockey fan Moezuddin Qureshi, 51, told Al Jazeera.

“Pakistan’s national anthem played to honour the gold-winning team at the Olympics remains my best memory. It used to be a matter of huge pride for us. We grew up playing hockey on the streets but now our kids know nothing about the sport because we are nowhere to be seen in a sport that we ruled for decades.”

Some fans and experts have concluded that Pakistan hockey is “dead” while others, showing minor optimism at best, consider it to be “on a ventilator”.

Pakistan began its Olympic journey with a silver in Melbourne 1956, before going one better four years later in Rome, breaking India’s streak of six straight gold medals.

Two silver medals and one gold followed in the next three Olympics before a bronze in 1976 as the team consolidated its position among the superpowers.

Its first missed podium came at Seoul 1988 before it managed a bronze medal in Barcelona four years later – their last Olympic medal to date.

‘Failure to adapt with modern hockey’

Pakistan hockey’s decline started in the 1980s.

Some experts believe the introduction of artificial turf in the 1970s started to affect the performance of Pakistani and Indian players. Both were labelled the “kings of grass”.

The game evolved over the years, demanding better fitness but analysts say Pakistan were left behind in the race.
Cricket, the most popular sport in the country, is also blamed for hockey’s fall after many schools and educational institutes replaced hockey outfits with cricket.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials have faced allegations of embezzlement and misuse of government funds besides being widely criticised for poor planning.

The “legends” that took Pakistan to glory in the past have also been accused of selfish behaviour by analysts.

“Our former players continuously opposed appointments of foreign coaches but when they got opportunities to coach the national team, they failed repeatedly. Our failure to adapt with modern hockey has affected us a lot,” Sardar Khan, sports journalist and former hockey commentator, told Al Jazeera.

“Foreign coaches were hired to help Pakistan adapt with modern hockey but they did not get enough time due to opposition from former players.

“The PHF also didn’t manage hockey properly. They did not give opportunities to players on merit. I remember we [the media] had to raise our voice for even Sohail Abbas [record international goal scorer with 348 goals] to get him into the team,” said Khan before ruling out cricket’s popularity as a reason for hockey’s demise in Pakistan.

“Popularity of cricket is in no way a reason because cricket always had more commercial value than field hockey.”

Meanwhile, Samiullah Khan, who played in the “Golden Era”, conceded that former players were unable to serve Pakistan hockey well but outlined a number of other factors for the current state of the sport in the country.

“Many former players have bargained for positions [in the PHF] but that’s just the tip of the iceberg,” Samiullah, famously known as the “Flying Horse”, told Al Jazeera.

“We are missing dynamic officials to lead the PHF. In our time as players, we were lucky to have such officials who sincerely worked for the game. Politics at club level has also ruined the sport.

“Funds, which PHF used to get, were not utilised in the right manner. We don’t have modern equipment. Venues in big cities like Karachi were centralised, making them inaccessible to local players.”

But the former captain remains optimistic about Pakistan being able to regain its lost status.

“If we work hard and manage hockey properly, we can see significant results within four years. Talent still exists but the government must patronise the game like it used to be in the past. Departments must give jobs to hockey players, who must be safeguarded financially.

“There is a need to initiate hockey leagues in our own country by bringing sponsors to ensure financial incentives for players.”
Abbasi echoed those views, terming the introduction of leagues crucial for the revival of hockey in the country.

“It needs efforts from the PHF but for that, we need competent officials on the top which is not the case right now,” he said.

Retired Brigadier Khalid Sajjad Khokhar is the current PHF president, holding the post since 2015, while former player Asif Bajwa is serving as a secretary since 2019, in his second term in the office.

Despite the results, performance and ranking, Bajwa, who represented Pakistan from 1991 to 1996, argued hockey is not in a hopeless state.

“We may be 18th on paper but we are technically still a number-eight side,” Bajwa told Al Jazeera.

“Pakistan’s dramatic drop in the rankings was caused after the interim PHF officials decided to skip matches of the 2019 Pro Hockey League. It was a disastrous decision. We were handed points penalty and a huge fine by the FIH [hockey’s world governing body] which is why we failed to qualify for Tokyo Olympics,” he said.

But Bajwa, who also served in the same post from 2008 to 2013, admitted a lot of work was needed to bring the game back on track.
“Firstly, our players need international exposure which requires travelling. We need funds for that but we are not as rich as our cricket board.

“Hockey has also become an expensive sport. Changes like replacing wooden sticks with graphite sticks have increased the costs. Astroturf too requires a lot of funding.

“A lot is being planned to uplift our domestic hockey. We are working with provincial governments and working on establishing centres at regional level. We will soon start working on promotion of the game in schools.

“We also have plans to start leagues,” he said.

“Hockey is in our blood. Once this pandemic is over and things start getting back on track, we will definitely make a turnaround.”
But former Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt, who played international hockey from 2009 to 2018, remains unconvinced.

“It is high time we move away from illusions and accept the reality. If we had played more matches, we could have gone further down in the rankings,” Butt told Al Jazeera.

“The PHF must come up with a good plan for the benefit of the players. Only the implementation of a proper plan is the way forward for us.

“The PHF must work for hockey because only lip service would not take us anywhere.”

https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/7/26/pakistan-hockey-on-ice-with-olympic-ambitions-stalled
 
Its sad, we were the king in world hockey and now, no where near. I think its astro turf started the decline . When you cannot keep pace with the modern demand of the game, fitness and technique , you are bound to lose.
 
LAHORE: At the ongoing Tokyo Olympic Games 2020 in Japan, the Pakistan Olympic Association has sent only ten athletes. A nation of 220 million is being represented by just ten sportspersons. The 10 comprised seven men and three women, competing in athletics, badminton, judo, shooting, swimming, and weightlifting. Before that, at the Rio Olympic Games 2016, Pakistan had its smallest-ever contingent: just seven athletes. Since 1948, hockey had been Pakistan’s main hope for an Olympic medal. The hockey squad always formed a major part of Pakistan’s Olympic contingent. It is lamentable that Pakistan hockey, which remained up in the clouds for more than three decades, is not the same force that it used to be, and failed to qualify for two consecutive Olympic Games: Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Pakistan hockey, which inspired millions around the globe, has failed to win a single Olympic medal of any colour since 1992 Barcelona.

A look at Pakistan hockey’s performances at the world’s biggest sports extravaganza: Pakistan participated in Olympics 16 times. The only absence was in 1980 at Moscow, when many nations boycotted the Olympics in protest against the former Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan. All the other sports have yielded a total of two bronze medals, won by wrestler Mohammad Bashir (1960) and boxer Hussain Shah (1988). From 1956 to 1972, Pakistan appeared in five consecutive Olympics finals, earning two gold and three silver medals.From 1956 to 1984, Pakistan earned a medal in every Olympics through hockey (barring 1980 when they had boycotted): three gold, three silver medals and one bronze.The year 1988 was the first time when the green-shirts failed to reach the semifinals. Since 1992, when they won the bronze medal, Pakistan have failed to win any medal.Pakistan hockey has always been on the podium for 36-years — from 1956 to 1992.Unfortunately, the standard of hockey has really deteriorated for quite some time in the country which is evident from the fact that the national hockey team has not won an Olympic medal for the last 29 years, what to speak of other games.

The Tokyo Olympics are the second consecutive time that Pakistan hockey has missed the multi-sport event. It also failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup for the first time in history and finished a dismal 12th in the 2018 edition. For a country whose national sport is field hockey, missing out on back-to-back Olympic Games is nothing less than a catastrophe for the followers. The agonising reality is that Pakistan hockey has acquired a ‘loser’ image in world hockey and become a synonym for defeat, mediocrity and failure. It is now the ‘Sick Man’ of global hockey and it is incorrigible and confirmed Pauper. It has reached its nadir. For anyone growing up watching hockey, few teams personified big-match temperament and swagger like Pakistan. Today, though, that swagger has faded, and the entire edifice on which Pakistan hockey rests, lies teetering on the edge. The sport, for which the country was world-renowned, is now a picture of apathy. Spectator-less stadiums, no international tours, inept PHF, declining numbers of players and a virtual media blackout are enough proof that the nation has lost interest in hockey. It is so unfortunate that this shocking and continuous decline has put Pakistan team, who were consistently among the top four, at 18th position in the latest world rankings.It is heart breaking that nations like France, Malaysia, Wales, Japan, South Africa and Ireland are ahead of Pakistan in top 20 world rankings. In Asia, India are at top while Pakistan are at fifth position.

Failure to adapt with modernism: Some experts have concluded that Pakistan hockey is ‘dead’ while others, showing minor optimism at best, consider it to be ‘on a ventilator’. Pakistan hockey’s decline started in the 1980s. Many experts believe the introduction of artificial turf in the 1970s started to affect the performance of Pakistan and Indian players. Both were labelled the ‘kings of grass’. The game evolved over the years, demanding better fitness but Pakistan were left behind in the race. Cricket, the most popular sport in the country, has overshadowed hockey with nurseries of hockey — schools and educational institutes — replaced hockey outfits with cricket. Over the years, the incompetent Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials have faced allegations of embezzlement and misuse of government funds besides being widely criticised for poor planning. For the mandarins who run the hockey show, though, the priorities lay elsewhere. The harsh truth is that the national sport has been reduced to a game of musical chairs, where the officials and former Olympians of yesteryear have taken turns to deprive hockey of both prestige and funds.

The hockey legends who took Pakistan to glory in the past have also been accused of selfish behaviour. Former players have continuously opposed appointments of foreign coaches but when they got opportunities to coach the national team, they failed repeatedly. The PHF also didn’t manage hockey properly. They did not give opportunities to players on merit. Lack of funds has hampered players’ international exposure which requires travelling. Pakistan hockey’s failure to adapt with modern hockey has also affected it a lot. Pakistan hockey structure lacks in terms of skills and competitiveness. The very base of the game has shrunk beyond belief. Pakistan hockey’s slump is not quite as dramatic or sudden as it now seems to be. It’s been a slow and painful decline. There is no doubt that country’s national sport, having so much pride and passion, has gone to the dogs. Building a strong team is not an overnight process and it takes years to put together a balanced side keeping in view the modern approach to competitive international hockey, and the exacting scientific preparations that the international teams now favour. The standard of the game is changing so rapidly that the gap between the best and the second in line has narrowed considerably. In fact, the difference between the four top teams has become so small that whenever any two of them meet it is very difficult to predict the outcome of the game.

To rise above again, Pakistan hockey requires strong financial backup, commitment and self-belief. Only hard and incessant efforts lead to success. Only then the elusive triumphs will replace the current tragedies that demean the team once basking in Olympic golds and world crowns. In the absence of these, we should not dream of reaching for the skies!

Honours and recognition: Since its breakthrough in the 1948 Summer Olympics, Pakistan has won more than 20 official titles, which are detailed below:

World Cup:

Gold medal: 1971, 1978, 1982, 1994

Silver medal: 1975, 1990

FIH Champions Trophy:

Gold medal: 1978, 1980, 1994

Silver medal: 1983, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1996, 1998, 2014

Bronze medal: 1986, 1992, 1995, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2012,

Summer Olympics:

Gold medal: 1960 Rome, 1968 Mexico City, 1984 Los Angeles

Silver medal: 1956 Melbourne, 1964 Tokyo, 1972 Munich

Bronze medal: 1976 Montreal, 1992 Barcelona

Sultan Azlan Shah Cup:

Gold medal: 1998, 2000, 2003

Silver medal: 1983, 1987, 1991, 1994, 2004, 2011

Bronze medal: 1985, 2005

Asian Champions Trophy:

Gold medal: 2012, 2013, 2018

Silver medal: 2011, 2016

Asia Cup:

Gold medal: 1982, 1985, 1989

Silver medal: 1999, 2003, 2009

Bronze medal: 1993, 2013, 2017

Asian Games:

Gold medal: 1958, 1962, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1990, 2010

Silver medal: 1966, 1986, 2014

Bronze medal: 1994, 1998, 2006

Commonwealth Games:

Silver medal: 2006

Bronze medal: 2002

South Asian Games:

Gold medal: 2006, 2010, 2016

Silver medal: 1995

Afro-Asian Games:

Silver medal: 2003

Hockey Champions Challenge:

Silver medal: 2009.

https://dailytimes.com.pk/801433/pakistan-hockeys-absence-from-tokyo-olympics-is-very-hurtful/
 
Both India and Pakistan have rich hockey heritage. Both started to fall from mid 90's and by 00's have become irrelevant for top nations.

From 2010, private groups and Odisha government started to show immense support to hockey there by making us get better in rankings and secure CWG silver, bronze and Asian games gold medals.

Now at last we are ranked #3 and have won an Olympics medal after Moscow!

This is such a massive achievement for the sport. Really happy :D
 
Our hockey went the same way as our Squash and Football!!:)):)) Nepotism, corruption and no planning for coming years. When Pak was on top of the game winning one world cup after another there was no planning for future stars. We just took for granted that the next Hasan Sardar, Sohail Abbas or Shahbaz Ahmed will fall from no where. Another thing is Pak struggled to adapt from playing on grass to the artificial surface the game is now played on.
 
PakLFC said:
Our hockey went the same way as our Squash and Football!!:)):)) Nepotism, corruption and no planning for coming years. When Pak was on top of the game winning one world cup after another there was no planning for future stars. We just took for granted that the next Hasan Sardar, Sohail Abbas or Shahbaz Ahmed will fall from no where. Another thing is Pak struggled to adapt from playing on grass to the artificial surface the game is now played on.
Click to expand...

Grass -> turf transition happened around 1975-1980

Pakistan did well even after that for 15 years. India straight away fell apart, did not win anything after 1980.
 
In the days leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, a statue of hockey legend Samiullah Khan was unveiled in the posh neighbourhood of Model Town, in Pakistan’s Bahawalpur.

Pakistan weren’t there in Tokyo, but the sculpture was a reminder of everything that was once adored about the country’s hockey, and the electric left-winger himself: the famous dark green shirt, the ever-smiling face of Samiullah, his inimitable grip – loose bottom hand and the flexible left wrist – and the giant stride of the man nicknamed ‘the Flying Horse’ for his speed.

Days later, the ball – which even the world’s best defenders couldn’t steal from Samiullah’s stick – went missing. And then, they stole the stick. All that was left was a man in a green shirt standing in an awkward position at a crossing in the city centre.

“You want to know what has gone wrong with Pakistan hockey, that incident explains everything,” says a member of Pakistan’s contingent that is in Bhubaneswar for the Junior Hockey World Cup.

It does, in a way.

International hockey has thrown up some remarkable storylines in the last decade: the emergence of Belgium, the resurgence of India, Argentina’s golden run in Rio, fast-rising France and Ireland. On the other side of the spectrum are Pakistan, whose decline – from fifth in the world in 2013 to 18th now – has been shocking.

The Tokyo Olympics was the second successive Games the Green Shirts missed. They failed to make the cut for the 2014 World Cup and had a forgettable outing in 2018. Their performance in the Junior World Cup doesn’t paint a rosy picture for the future either. Pakistan could not make it beyond the group stage, losing two out of their three games, with their only win coming against a lowly Egypt.

“I won’t say hockey in Pakistan is dead, else we wouldn’t have a team here,” says the official. “But well, it’s on life-support.”

To breathe them into life, they’ve turned to a Dutch coach with Indian-Surinamese roots, Siegfried Aikman. Aikman, who is set to become Pakistan’s foreign coach, is credited with turning around Japanese hockey, taking a bunch of unknown players and making them Asian Games champions.

Despite some performances that offer hope – most famously the 4-4 draw against the Netherlands in the Olympic qualifiers – that kind of overnight success is tough to achieve with Pakistan, where the problems lie deeper. And Aikman has some idea of what he’s getting into.

Archaic methods

“The old internationals, the Olympians, are in charge and they do things they did years ago. They are from another era. They need to get the knowledge, understand the modern way of coaching,” Aikman says.

It’s the same problem India faced until the country started to rely on foreign coaches, who contributed to the team finishing on the Olympic podium after 41 years. Pakistan has had a couple of foreign coaches before. But they haven’t had the resources to keep them on a long-term basis while their former players did not have the wherewithal to learn new coaching techniques.

So, even as the hockey world zoomed ahead on fitness and tactical fronts, Pakistan remains stuck in an era gone by. As the opposition coach – it was Japan that eliminated Pakistan at the 2018 Asian Games – Aikman used Pakistan’s archaic training methods to his team’s advantage.

“Their players are skillful but physically not fit enough to play modern hockey. Technically, they were unable to use their skills to play modern hockey. They make many unforced errors, get tired and the decision-making is not up to the mark. Their tactical concepts are a little bit old-fashioned, too,” he says. “They have potential. But like India, they will need time to change. I hope I can help them.”

The inability to invest in developing coaches is understandable, given that Pakistan has barely been able to raise funds to compete in important international tournaments.

Financial crisis, corruption

Pakistan’s first assignment under their new coach will be the Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka in December. In the last edition, held in 2018, India and Pakistan shared the trophy after the final got washed out.

But during that tournament, they did not even have enough money to foot their hotel bill in Muscat. They risked being thrown out of the hotel in the middle of the competition and were able to stay only because their Embassy stepped in and cleared the pending bills.

Weeks later, they were in a position to send the team to Bhubaneswar for the World Cup only because a private company was prepared to fund them after the government refused to bear the cost. The funding freeze continued into 2019 when Pakistan were forced to pull out of the FIH Pro League, a home-and-away tournament involving the world’s top hockey nations.

Pakistan were to play their home games in Scotland but did not have $650,000, which was the approximate amount needed to fund their participation in the six-month-long league. Eventually, they had to pull out and, ironically, were punished with a hefty fine by the international federation.

The lack of financial support, especially from the government, comes on the back of a series of corruption allegations on former players and federation officials, forcing the government to order an audit on past payments, as per the Dawn newspaper.

The monetary condition seems to have improved. But the overall situation hasn’t. So dire it is, in fact, that some of the game’s legends are starting to turn their back on Pakistan hockey.

Hassan Sardar, who was the team’s manager at the 2018 World Cup, had said at the time: “There is no hockey culture in the country (Pakistan) now. People are into cricket more, people follow cricket more. I think that if I was a kid now with talent in hockey, I would prefer playing cricket than hockey.”

Shakeel Abbasi, Pakistan’s three-time Olympian, had told Al Jazeera: “I made a mistake by picking hockey over cricket.”

The incident with Samiullah’s statue is, thus, emblematic of the situation Pakistan hockey finds itself in. The stick and ball stolen were re-installed, and the thief was arrested.

The hunt, meanwhile, for Pakistan’s glory days is still on.

https://indianexpress.com/article/s...s-a-pale-shadow-of-its-glorious-past-7646564/
 
LAHORE: In a bid to revive the flagging fortunes of the national hockey team, the Pakistan Hockey Federation has turned to Dutch coach Siegfried Aikman.

Aikman was unveiled as the team’s new head coach on Thursday, a day before its departure for Bangladesh to take part in the Asian Champions Trophy.

The head coach at the Asian Champions Trophy, though, would be Khawaja Junaid while Aikman will travel as part of the team management. Aikman will take full charge following the Asian Champions Trophy, which begins Dec 14.

“Aikman will be coach the team for the next five years, till the 2026 FIH World Cup,” PHF secretary Asif Bajwa said at a news conference, flanked by both Aikman and Junaid.

Aikman, who has Indian-Surinamese roots, was previously coach of the Japanese team, taking them to the Asian Games gold medal in 2018 before leaving following this year’s Tokyo Olympics.

“With Aikman’s appointment, the PHF has filled all its bases to bring Pakistan back to the top table of world hockey,” Bajwa said, with the PHF having also appointed former Olympian Ahmed Alam as the team’s goalkeeping coach.

Aikman informed that he had met with the national team players on the last day of the training camp on Thursday.

“The boys have the potential but it’s about harnessing that in the right way,” Aikman said. “We will move ahead in future through short and long term plans to improve Pakistan hockey and bridge the gap between Pakistan and the top teams in the world.”

Aikman, who acted as a consultant for the Pakistan team at the recently-concluded FIH Junior World Cup in India where the team finished 11th, said his main focus would be to improve players’ fitness levels.

“We also need to make the boys mentally strong and work on improving their technique,” he added.

Junaid said that he welcomed Aikman as head coach and they would “work as one team” at the Asian Champions Trophy.

A reunion with Japan comes quickly for Aikman with Pakistan facing his former side in their opener on Dec 14. Pakistan will then face Malaysia on Dec 15, two days before their clash with arch-rivals India. Pakistan will face South Korea on Dec 18 and will finish their round-robin campaign against hosts Bangladesh the following day.

The final is set for Dec 22.

“I can’t predict what will happen at the Asian Champions Trophy but we will work hard to give our best,” Aikman said.

Pakistan were declared joint-winners with India in the last edition of the Asian Champions Trophy in Oman in 2018 after the final could not be played due to a thunderstorm.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2021
 
Pakistan hockey squad has left for Dhaka to take part in the Asian Champions Trophy without any goalkeeper in their line-up due to visa issues.

Asif Bajwa, the secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), said both the goalkeepers in the Pakistan camp, Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas, were not issued visas for Bangladesh.

"Because of the unusual situation the squad has left for Dhaka without any goalkeepers," Bajwa said.

He said that as an emergency measure, the PHF has decided to send the two goalkeepers who recently represented Pakistan in the Junior World Cup in India -- Abdullah and Waqar.

"Since they have got Bangladesh visas we are sending them now to Dhaka as we can't take any more risks of waiting for visas to arrive for the senior goalkeepers," he said.

Interestingly the PHF on the recommendation of goalkeeping coach, Ahmed Alam had called up seniors, Mazhar and Amjad, to the Champions Trophy camp.

"Initially we had decided to keep the junior team goalkeepers for the senior event as well but after the team's poor show in the Junior World Cup the goalkeeping coach felt it would be best to recall the senior goalies," Bajwa said.

He said this was the reason why visas had not been obtained on time for Amjad and Mazhar as they were last-minute additions to the camp while Abdullah and Waqar had visas issued.

https://thebridge.in/hockey/visa-issue-pakistan-without-goalkeepers-27276
 
NEW DELHI: Pakistan has renewed its efforts to revive its once celebrated sport of hockey by appointing Netherland's Siegfried Aikman as the new head coach of their senior men's team.

Aikman, who took Japan to the 2018 Asian Games gold, was officially announced as the new coach by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) before the team flew to Dhaka for the ongoing men's Asian Champions Trophy.

Aikman spoke to TimesofIndia.com after the team's arrival in Bangladesh over the last weekend.

Your first thoughts on joining Pakistan hockey as the new head coach...

It's a new experience to be with another team, after (being) a long time with Japan. On the other hand, it's refreshing as well to work with another group. I think that it's actually a good thing to happen. The Pakistani players are very eager and they really want to improve and want to change. What I have seen gives me a very positive feeling.


Your official tenure as coach with the Pakistan team starts after the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT)?

My contract is already on, so I am already with them. At the moment, I had told (Khawaja) Junaid (former Olympian and head coach of senior Pakistan team before Aikman's appointment) to prepare the team for this tournament as I have just joined. So I said we will discuss among ourselves how we will do it. I will not fully take over (right away) because I think that will not be logical. He should prepare the team and do the job. But I will support wherever I can. He needs to make his choice. If he wants me to do the coaching, I will do it. If he wants to coach (during the ACT), I'm also fine with it. I will be connected. It's just like I did with the under-21 team in Bhubaneswar (during the Junior World Cup). I was there too.


What did you make of the Pakistan talent you saw at the Junior World Cup?

The reality is that Pakistan declined a lot, or the reality is we didn't play matches for almost three years. That never helps to grow. If you want to perform as an international team, you need 35 to 40 matches in a year. They (senior team) lacked that experience because it's just not there. They didn't qualify for the (last two) Olympic Games. Their last match was the Olympic qualifier, I think. After that, it was very quiet.


For a team with a legacy like the one Pakistan has and the decline that they are going through, what is the mandate you have been given by the PHF?

Firstly, I wanted them to have a reality check. That means living in the past doesn't help. So we need to accept that we declined. We are number 18 in the world, which means that other teams are doing better than us. So we cannot again get to the situation where (we think that) we are fantastic hockey players (even) if we don't improve. The time that we could live in the past is over. We should acknowledge the position we are in.

Of course, we have players. They call them skillful (but) I have another opinion. I said that in my opinion they have a lot of potential. But skillful? I don't know. I think they are very good dodgers, but dodging is a little part of the hockey game. If I look at the technical skills, like passing and receiving, I see too many unforced errors.

They hardly control the ball well on the first touch, and they cannot play the ball in one touch most of the time because of that. So if you look at the demands of modern hockey and high-performance hockey, you see that they are lacking. That part I want to bring back. So I want to modernize the way we play.


For a long time the reason for the drop in performances has been sighted as the transition from natural to artificial grass...

You cannot blame the (transition from natural grass to) turf. What you should blame, and that's what I also said, is that we need a coaching structure. We need to modernize the coaches in Pakistan. I think India started with this...We need to improve this at the grassroot level, we need to bring in new skills...need to bring awareness about tactical play. What is it? What are the modern structures they play?

(Players in Pakistan) are still coached by coaches who are from (the time) before the offside rule was abolished. So basically you see that they also play as if there is still an offside rule, even if they are born after 1996.


Did you notice that in particular in the academies that you might have visited in Pakistan so far?

No. I have been in Pakistan for only three days. But I looked at the Pakistan juniors and the senior team. Then I see that they play mainly with the attackers in a horizontal line in their attacking play. That's how I came to that conclusion. It's my opinion, as I said. It's not fact-checked. But it's strange to notice that they don't use the full pitch.


In the past, there have been a lot of governance, administrative and initiative issues with the PHF. Have you got any assurances from the PHF on those grounds?

Firstly, in the past they had funds but the funds were not used in a good way. So they had their financial problems, were almost down....Then they made changes, and when you make changes, it never goes smoothly. You make a change, you get disappointed. You change again, you get disappointed again. Because people are inexperienced. So it's part of their learning process, the growing process.
Meanwhile, the consequences are huge. So the decline of Pakistan hockey kept on. That means people lost their interest, and the sponsors and supporters of Pakistan hockey were withdrawing. But at the same time, it gave new energy to some people to at least try to change. A result of that attempt to change is that I'm there now (as head coach).

Before I came, they got guarantees from the Pakistan government about the funding. They have guarantees from sponsors about a certain level of funding...(But) we need to perform...If you look at India, the players got rich from a bronze medal (at the Olympics). The celebration was like (winning) a gold medal. That's how the subcontinent is eager for success again. The moment you can be successful, or you are on the way up, then suddenly support grows everywhere.

So my message to Pakistan and the Pakistani players is don't look backwards in history...Think of it as a brilliant time. The guys were fantastic, but what they did was (in) another era...If a team like Belgium, which was No. 18 twelve years ago and have now turned themselves into Olympic and world champions, can do it, why can't we. That's where we can learn from.


You talk about structure and changing a lot of things. If you look at India, they not only brought in foreign coaches but also a scientific approach. Is Pakistan willing to change on those levels?

If you want to reach the top of the world, you have to do it science-based. Yes, Pakistan understands that this is a serious part of hockey. I told that Pakistani players are good at dodging but lacking in many aspects of the game. That should change. If you have specialists in Pakistan, we will use them. If they are not there, we will get them from abroad. Wherever we get them from, I don't care. But we want to grow and we need to take the team in the right direction.

Can we do that all at once? No. We will take time. India showed us that it's possible. We don't need the same long time as India needed because we can learn from it. We can see what they did and learn from the mistakes they made. And one of the biggest mistakes was that for too long they kept talking about how great India was (in the past).

My point is that Pakistan should accept that they declined, and from thereon work hard on a structure-based future. That's also why I have a contract for five years and not two years or one year because short-term contracts don't work if you want to achieve long-term results. And a change won't happen overnight. That is what we talked about and what Pakistan hockey realizes and admits.

They are willing to go for it. Where does it end? I don't know. I can't see the future. Maybe in a year I'm not there anymore...because it's a high-performance sport and it's about performance. But at least the intention is to grow step by step and see where you reach. That's also what they have learned from India because India wasted time by firing every coach who was taking up the job and trying to make a start.


What do you want to change the most in Pakistan hockey?

Players are selected on dodging qualities and not on modern hockey qualities. Like can they receive the ball, can they pass the ball well, can they handle stress, are they mentally strong enough, can they deal with disappointments, do they have the ability to improve, do they make the same mistake over and over again or do they change and try things differently? Those are competence-based criteria.
That criteria is mostly not in the eyes of the selectors who actually like dribbling. In their opinion, you're a good player if you eliminate a lot, score a lot of goals... A player like Arthur van Doren (of Belgium) will hardly get through selection in India and Pakistan because actually he's a boring player. He receives the ball and passes. That's it...You don't see him scoring many goals and eliminating many opponents, but what he does is he makes others play better.


There is the question of time as well. The next World Cup is in 2023 and Pakistan's only chance to qualify remains through the Asia Cup, which will be held next year. Have you been told anything about that as an immediate goal?Pakistan would want to play this edition of the World Cup...

We talked about it. We didn't say it's an absolute must. We want to work on growth, we want to work on development, we want to create a team. We believe that we can do it because qualifying for the World Cup means top four in Asia. In the Asia Cup, we need to make the semi-finals. With all due respect, I think that is something we can do. So we discussed it and I sincerely believe that we can make it to that World Cup.


Roelant Oltmans left his job as Pakistan coach allegedly because of lack of funding and salary issues. What have you been offered?

I will not tell you what I get exactly, but I can tell you it is something I am satisfied with. I don't do this for money, I do it because I have passion for hockey. I do this because I want Asian hockey to be back where it belongs. I see potential in Pakistan hockey. I had other offers as well, but I chose Pakistan. Why? Because I sincerely believe that they can't go lower than this and should not go. Secondly, the Pakistan government is supporting hockey at the moment. They have given guarantees for a certain period. Depending on the result, they will reassess.


After how much time will they reassess your and the team's performance?

They will reassess in another two years, but I am convinced. We have the World Cup in 2023. In that World Cup, I would not just want to play, but also make it to the quarterfinals (at least). If we make the quarters, we would have done a very good job.
Performance on the day will make a difference...I also said to people in Pakistan that I can't guarantee success. I am just a normal human being. What I can guarantee is that I will create a fighting machine, I will create a team that wants to go for it.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...ach-siegfried-aikman/articleshow/88335178.cms
 
AMSTERDAM: Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team secured an astonishing 5-3 victory over the Netherlands in the first match of the Europe Tour, here on Tuesday.

Pakistan started the Europe tour on a high as the side secured a comprehensive victory over the better-ranked Netherlands.

The two teams remained involved in a hard-fought match with the Netherlands dominating the first half with 2-1.

Despite trailing by one goal, the green shirts made an exceptional comeback in the second half; scoring three goals in response to the Netherlands’ one to claim the victory by 5-3.

For Pakistan, Rizwan netted a goal thrice, while Mubashir and Aijaz scored one each.

The green shirts will lock horns with the Netherlands in the second match tomorrow. Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0.
 
Great news Pak won first match vs Netherlands. Granted its only one match but still a great win
 
MenInG said:
AMSTERDAM: Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team secured an astonishing 5-3 victory over the Netherlands in the first match of the Europe Tour, here on Tuesday.

Pakistan started the Europe tour on a high as the side secured a comprehensive victory over the better-ranked Netherlands.

The two teams remained involved in a hard-fought match with the Netherlands dominating the first half with 2-1.

Despite trailing by one goal, the green shirts made an exceptional comeback in the second half; scoring three goals in response to the Netherlands’ one to claim the victory by 5-3.

For Pakistan, Rizwan netted a goal thrice, while Mubashir and Aijaz scored one each.

The green shirts will lock horns with the Netherlands in the second match tomorrow. Pakistan lead the three-match series 1-0.
Click to expand...

Looks like an old news from the hay days of Pakistan Hockey .
 
KARACHI: Asia Hockey Federation (AHF) has announced schedule for Asia Cup which will be played from May 23 to June 1 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Eight participating teams have been divided in two pools, A and B. Pakistan, India, Japan and Indonesia are placed in pool A while Malaysia, Korea, Oman and Bangladesh are in pool B.

Malaysia will take on Oman in the opening match of the event. Pakistan will start their Asia Cup campaign against arch-rivals India on May 23. The national team will next play against Indonesia on May 24 and Japan on May 25.

In a bid to prepare strongly for the Asian event, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has sent the team to Europe. Pakistan will play against Holland, Belgium and Spain to get ready for Asia Cup.

GEOSuper
 
AMSTERDAM: The home team the Netherlands secured a comprehensive victory over Pakistan by 4-1 in the second match of the Europe Tour, here on Wednesday.

After suffering from a shock loss in the first match against Pakistan, the third-ranked Netherlands bounced back to claim a thumping 4-1 victory over the 17th-ranked green shirts.

The green shirts were off to a flying start as the side dominated the first quarter with 1-0. The opposition was quick to respond as the dutch levelled the scores at 1-1 in the first half.

The Netherlands fueled with momentum, scored one goal in each quarter of the second half and secured a convincing victory over Pakistan 4-1.

The green shirts, on the other hand, despite starting brilliantly; scoring a goal in the first quarter, remained unable to net another goal and suffered a crushing defeat.

With this victory, the Netherlands have managed to level the three-match series 1-1, with the third and final match scheduled tomorrow.

For Pakistan, Abdul Mannan managed to shoot the only goal.
 
Second-ranked Belgium Hockey Team secured a comprehensive victory over the 17th-ranked Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team by 4-1 in the only match between the two teams of the Europe Tour, here on Friday.

After the conclusion of a highly-competitive series against the Netherlands, the green shirts turned their attention towards Belgium to lock horns in the only match.

The better-ranked Belgium, however, outclassed the green shirts by the scores of 5-1.

In the first half, Pakistan could not net the ball once, in response to Belgium’s two. The green shirts then managed to cut the margin to 2-1 as Rizwan struck a goal in the third quarter.

Belgium, on the other hand, restored and also extended their lead as the side responded quickly with two goals in the same quarter.

Second-ranked Belgium then netted one in the final quarter to better their lead to 5-1. The green shirts, on the other hand, could not make their way back into the game despite a goal in the starting minutes of the third quarter and suffered a crushing defeat.

For Pakistan, Rizwan managed to score the only goal.
 
BARCELONA: Pakistan Men’s Hockey Team sealed an astonishing 4-1 victory over the home side of Spain in the first match of the two-match series, here on Tuesday.

Pakistan started the two-match series on a high as the side secured a comprehensive victory over the better-ranked Spain.

The green shirts completely dominated the first half of the match as the side scored three goals, while the home side remained unable to net the ball once.

Rizwan scored the first goal for Pakistan in the first quarter of the game through a short corner. Ijaz Ali then scored the third field goal for Pakistan in the second quarter which resulted in Pakistan taking a three-goal lead over Spain.

The two teams remained involved in a hard-fought second half of the match with both scoring a goal each and the green shirts, in the end, claimed a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Spain. Roman made the fourth strike for the men in green.

It’s worth noting that the two teams will now face off in the second match of the series on May 4.
 
Spain beat Pakistan 5-3 in the final game of their tour - series ends as 1-1
 
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