Hockey players offered contracts

LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has offered honorary contracts to 25 players for three months including all the senior players who were dropped for the Azlan Shan Cup.

The PHF selectors last week omitted Sohail Abbas, Rehan Butt and Shakeel Abbasi from the Malaysia-bound squad in order to give them time to rest while assuring them a place in the team if they proved- their fitness in the next training camp and trials. “All the senior players are there on the contract list and the PHF has not closed the door on them,” said PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa. “Our intention was to give rest to all the senior players which is why the federation kept them under the honorary contract.”

The federation is also in the process of arranging foreign tours for the team ahead of the Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi from October 3. “We have plans to tour some European countries and are in talks with Spain in this respect. The fixtures are yet to be confirmed but apart from Spain we also plan to play stronger teams like Australia and Germany. But we’re also participating in a four-nation tournament in China in July.”