LAHORE - Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Associate Secretary Ayaz Mahmood Tuesday said that Pakistan’s participation in the FIH’s Pro League would only be possible if the federation gets the required funds from the government.
Addressing a news conference along with Pakistan hockey team coach Danish Kaleem coach, the PHF official made it clear that if the PHF does not get the necessary funds, it will not be possible to ensure the participation of the green shirts in the pro league. Ayaz who only took the office early this month, faced a barrage of stinging questions.
“The present setup of the federation has been functioning for the last three and a half year. During this period, the PHF received a total government grant of Rs 542 million from which Rs 320 million were given by federal government, Rs 220 million by Sindh government and Rs 2 million by Punjab government,” he said. The breakup of the expenditure was later presented to the media persons.
“Presently, we only have Rs 17.5 million in the kitty. For our first Pro League assignment in Argentina, almost Rs 30 million are required. For the entire Pro League, Rs 100 million to 120 million are needed,” said the PHF official.
Ayaz said even in past, when Pakistan won all the meaningful titles, World Cup (four times), Olympics (thrice) and Asian Games (eight times), the federation was dependent upon the government grant. The PHF associate secretary agreed that the government’s reluctance could be due to the damaged credibility because of the misdoings of the past federations.
Danish Kaleem emphasized that Pakistan’s participation in the FIH Pro League is important for a number of reasons. “Mere participation would give Pakistan a large number of FIH ranking points. Canada (10th) and Ireland (11th) in the FIH rankings are not part of the Pro League. Our presence in the Pro League should enable Pakistan (12th) to easily go past these countries in the FIH rankings which will increase our chances to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. Moreover, the experience of playing 16 matches against world’s top teams would be a wonderful exposure for our young team,” he elaborated.
Ayaz Mahmood said: “In the case of non-participation, the FIH could impose a ban on Pakistan’s participation in the international events apart from inflicting a fine. In all probability, hockey is the sole hope for Pakistan’s presence at the 2020 Olympics ‘through qualification’. Otherwise, it won’t be different from the 2016 Olympics, when not a single sports person could qualify from world’s fifth largest country. The seven Pakistani entrants only came through quota spots/wildcard,” he added.
When asked about reinvigorating the domestic hockey scene, the associate secretary said: “Pakistan Hockey Super League (PHSL), which will be a privately sponsored event scheduled in March, promises a lot. I am optimistic about its success. That should lead to more corporate interest in Pakistan hockey; lessening our dependence on the government funds.
“I will request the media to fully support PHF’s request to the government for the monetary grant to ensure Pakistan’s participation in the FIH Pro League - so important for the survival of our national game,” he added.
