Mumbai, February 24 – A disgruntled Pakistan hockey team departed for Egypt for World Cup qualifiers under the leadership of a coach who had been permanently banned for his mistakes in the previous global event the team participated in, a news report said on Tuesday.
The players were unhappy with the interim arrangements for the team, as the federation had not appointed a foreign coach, but instead appointed a Pakistani coach who was permanently banned in 2023, Telecom Asia Sport reported.
"Pakistan hockey players, led by Ammad Butt, are unhappy with the interim arrangements for the team, as they wanted Dutchman Roelant Oltmans as the head coach, but the newly appointed interim head of the national hockey team, Khawaja Junaid, who was permanently banned in 2023, was chosen instead," sources told www.telecomasia.net.
The interim president, Mohiyuddin Wani, listened to the players but advised them to go with Junaid, as there was not enough time to appoint Oltmans for the World Cup Qualifiers, the report said, quoting sources.
The report claimed that skipper Ammad Butt contacted Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Moshin Naqvi to intervene, but he did not respond, as he was busy with his duties as the Interior Minister.
"Since most of the appointments in the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and in the team are political, Naqvi kept himself away from that. Naqvi is not very popular within the Muslim League (Nawaz), which heads the coalition government, while Naqvi has the support of the Pakistan People's Party," said sources.
In 2023, Junaid was permanently banned from participating in hockey activities after an inquiry committee held him responsible for the national team's unceremonious exit from the 2022 Asia Cup, following an eight-month investigation.
Pakistan was eliminated from the tournament after Junaid Manzoor's equalizer in a crucial match against Japan was ruled out due to the presence of an extra player on the field. Telecom Asia Sport reported that the result, 2-3 in favor of Japan, confirmed Pakistan's elimination from the Asia Cup—with the team needing at least a draw to proceed—as well as ending their chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup.
Pakistan, a four-time World Champions, is facing a difficult situation as their hockey team has failed to qualify for the 2022 and 2014 World Cups, while they finished 12th and last in the 2010 edition in India and 12th in a 16-team competition in 2018 in India. Junaid has had various stints as Pakistan's hockey coach, but has never been successful in guiding Pakistan to a major title. He has close ties with PML leaders.
The interim arrangements were made after the Pakistan team was left in a difficult situation in Canberra, where the players claimed they were not put up in a proper hotel. Skipper Butt even claimed that he struggled to get the players' daily allowances, which were less than the amount approved by the Pakistan Sports Board for foreign tours.