Hockey team decides to retire

PHF fires team management, selection committee

Statesman Report

KARACHI: Hours after the PHF fired team management and selection committee, all 18 players of Pakistan hockey team announced to resign from the national team following their lowest ever finish in the game's World Cup.

Canada defeated four-time champion Pakistan 3-2 in the playoff for the last two positions in the 12-nation tournament Thursday.

"We all the 18 players have decided in consensus that we are retiring from the hockey accepting the responsibility for the team's poorest ever performance in the game," captain Zeeshan Ashraf told newsmen on telephone from New Delhi.

Ashraf denies any pressure on the team for the decision to quit the game, adding that all the players "feel sorry for their performance in the world cup".

Earlier Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday sacked its hockey team officials and dissolved the national selection committee after the four times champions had their worst ever finish in the World Cup.

The Pakistan team finished last in the World Cup in New Delhi after losing to 2-3 to Canada in the 11th-12th place playoff on Thursday.

"Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Qasim Zia has dissolved the team management and National Selection Committee after the poor performance of the team in World Cup," a PHF statement said on Thursday.

Team management given the sack included manager Asif Bajwa, coach Shahid Ali Khan and assistant coach Shafqat Malik, while selection committee included chief selector Hassan Sardar, Rana Mujahid Ali, Khalid Bashir, Farhat Khan and Muhammad Shafiq.

Qasim said that after the team returns home, the PHF will call its executive board meeting and will hold an inquiry for the poor performance in the world cup. He also clarified that Bajwa will remain PHF secretary.

PML-N leader Iqbal Ihsan blamed the government for the hockey team's humiliating defeats in the world cup and said that PHF chief instead of tendering resignation has put responsibility on the team management and selection committee.

Former greats, meanwhile, launched scathing criticism of the PHF for the World Cup debacle. Islahuddin Siddiqui, former captain, said the PHF should sack Bajwa as secretary, and held him responsible the team's performance.

Akhtar-ul-Islam, another former Olympian and an ex-secretary of the PHF, agreed with Islah and said all the culprits responsible for the "embarrassing show" should be punished.

M Saqlain, former Pakistan captain, said the PHF has let Pakistan down and should be dissolved to allow a new management to rebuild the national team.