KUALA LUMPUR – The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is frustrated with the low budget allocation given by its government to the sports body, leading to disunity among its members.
The sports body, headed by opposition politician Shehla Reza from the Pakistan People’s Party founded by the late Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, received only Rs25 million (RM430,822) from the government last year, which is currently run by the Pakistan Muslim League party.
Before the change in government leadership in 2022, the PHF received between Rs100 million and Rs300 million annually from the government for its operations.
Speaking to Scoop from Lahore, PHF secretary-general Muhammad Asif Bajwa admitted that it would be difficult for the governing body to stabilise and address its internal issues until the government supported the federation adequately.
“It’s true that there were certain quarters within the federation who tried to topple us and create a new federation in Karachi, citing their frustration with the ongoing problems we are facing.
“The problem persists, but we have managed to calm it down through discussions with these rebellious individuals. It’s okay to voice concerns, but they took it to the extreme level by creating disunity within the federation.
“From PHF’s perspective, we strongly oppose the government’s policy, and their support for PHF has been inadequate over the past two years. It’s been challenging for us to move in the right direction with too much influence from the government and pressure from external sources.
“We have also lost several corporate sponsors who have been instrumental in sustaining the sport over the years. Now, we are struggling to find corporate sponsors and establish a long-term plan due to being sidelined with a low budget allocation for hockey in the country,” said Asif when contacted.
Previously Scoop reported that Pakistan’s participation in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup was uncertain due to the power struggles within the PHF, which is believed to have two associations within its supervision.
Known as the “Flying Green Horses” by fans, the PHF told Scoop that the team would be participating in the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in Ipoh from May 4 to 11.
The tournament will see a total of six teams participating: Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Korea and defending champions Malaysia.
Under Dutch head coach Roelant Oltmans and with a team with an average age of 24, the PHF has set a target for the squad to become champions of the invitational men’s hockey tournament.
Pakistan have made 15 appearances in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and have won the tournament thrice (1999, 2000 and 2003) since its inception in 1983.
They currently rank 15th in the world with 1775.78 points. – April 17, 2024