The hockey team which went to India on December 1 through the Wagah Border aiming to finish in the top four was seen off by Olympians and hockey players.
“Leaving through the Wagah Border was a great experience as on the one side we had our supporters to see us off, while on the other the Indians were waiting to receive us,” said goalkeeper Imran Butt, while talking to The Express Tribune. “We were provided security throughout the tournament. They took us to the airport, from where we were given a protocol to our hotel. We were asked to stay at a different hotel than the other teams as we were at higher risk than the other teams.”
The players were not allowed to go out on their own, but only as a team and that too amidst tight security. “We went out to shop just twice,” Butt added.
The goalkeeper also praised the Indian crowd for their support. “We lost the first three matches but the crowd supported and cheered both teams in all of them,” he said. “Even in the knockout match against Netherlands, the crowd cheered for us.”
Meanwhile, full-back Muhammad Irfan also said the same things, claiming that the crowd supported them, until the semi-final against India. “As we entered the ground for the semi-final, we decided to shake the hands of the Indians in the crowd as a goodwill gesture, and the crowd seemed to appreciate that,” he added. “However, some of them were hooting and abusing us. When the match ended, most of the Indians were silent but some kept on hurling abuses at us and the younger players were not able to control their emotions.”
However, coach Shahnaz Sheikh lamented the way the players were treated after the incident. “The players were surrounded by restrictions and were not even able to make calls or talk to anyone,” he said. “The International Hockey Federation (FIH) mailed us two hours before the match to inform us that two of our players have been suspended. The Indian crowd abused us in the final as well, even during our national anthem. They have snatched the title from us.”
Shahnaz also criticised the way his players were overlooked for the awards. “Irfan scored four goals in the championship but did not even get a single prize and the awards of best goalkeeper, best young player and fan favourite were all given to Indian players.”
He added that security was considerably more lax when the side was returning back home. “When we were returning, we were not provided any security and were traveling sans security in a coaster,” claimed Shahnaz. “FIH should take action against this.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2014.
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Everything was going on well and truly beyond Pak players expectations until the let their middle finger them.
Everything was going on well and truly beyond Pak players expectations until the let their middle finger them.