Tennis players unhappy with PTF secretary

Official blamed for players missing out on Asian Championship.

KARACHI: Top tennis players including Aqeel Khan demanded changes in the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) administration as they missed out on the opportunity of competing in the Asian Championship at Thailand in December.

The players said PTF secretary Mumtaz Yousuf should be changed as he is seldom available in Islamabad and the players hardly get a response when they try to communicate with him.

Aqeel, who was preparing for the championship for two months, said PTF needs to take concrete steps in order to avoid errors arising from miscommunication.

Other participants included Ahmed Chaudhry, Yasir Khan and Abid Mushtaq but none were able to go as the secretary failed to issue the relevant papers that were required for their visa.

“It’s about time the PTF gets a new team,” Aqeel told The Express Tribune. “We have no problems with the president Kaleem Imam, he understands our situation and is willing to help the players; but his team is lazy.

“Yasir, Mushtaq and I missed out on a great opportunity at the Asian Championship. Our next Davis Cup tie is with Sri Lanka in February and the Thailand event would have helped us a great deal with our practice. But the PTF secretary’s negligence cost us the chance. This needs to change.”

He further said Imam was not informed about the situation by Yousuf.

His contemporary Mushtaq – who has been named for the Davis Cup squad for February along with Aisamul Haq Qureshi, Aqeel and Yasir – agreed that the secretary failed to fulfill his responsibility.

When contacted, Yousuf denied the allegations saying that he has always been active and played his role in facilitating the players. He said that the players missed out on the Asian Championship because of their own fault as they submitted their visa application after the deadline of December 1. He further said the federation was not to be blamed.

“We need our players to participate in international events,” said Yousuf. “It’s unfair that my abilities as the secretary of the PTF are being doubted. I have always been prompt in responding to the players’ problems. I cannot be blamed for faults perpetrated by their own shortcomings.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2013.