Pakistan’s struggling men’s hockey team has failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the third time in a row, losing its final chance at a Paris ticket at the FIH Qualifiers in Oman, a result that has left the game’s past greats both saddened and enraged.
After losing 0-4 to Germany in the tournament’s semi-final, Pakistan lost 2-3 to New Zealand in the third-place match yesterday night, putting an end to their aspirations of competing in this year’s Paris Olympics, since only the top three advanced.
Pakistan’s most recent Olympic debut was in 2012, where the team finished seventh, a small improvement from their lowest ever performance of eighth place in the Beijing Games in 2008. Overall, the team has won eight medals in the mega-event, three of which were gold (1960, 1968, and 1984).
“What do you expect, bhai (brother), when the team is sent to the Olympic qualifiers with only 18 days of training, while all the other teams have months of preparation and training?” Olympian Wasim Feroze, a member of Pakistan’s 1994 World Cup and Champions Trophy winning teams, said.
Pakistan hockey has been in decline, with a financial problem resulting in nonpayment of allowances and contract payments to players and coaches. The PHF was occasionally compelled to withdraw from international competitions due to budgetary constraints.
However, the problem took a new turn two months ago when the patron-in-chief, interim prime minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar, ousted Brigadier (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokar, who had been the PHF president since 2015.
This resulted in absolute turmoil, with Khokar refusing to recognize the government’s decision, thereby creating a system of parallel authorities, with players uncertain about their future and coaches coming and departing.
Khokar even threatened to go to the FIH and have the PHF suspended since he claimed only he was acknowledged by the global body.
Arch-rivals India qualified for Paris after winning gold at the Asian Games last year.
Feroze, who has remained a national selector, believes the country should cease international hockey competition until it resolves internal issues.
“There is no money for the players, and there is a lot of politics at the national federation and at the grassroots level. “It would be better if we first resolved these issues before participating in international events and being embarrassed,” he stated.
Maria Ghanchi