Abbasi lambasts parallel POA bodies

Pakistan striker says missing CWG will further deteriorate national hockey.

KARACHI: Experienced Pakistan striker Shakeel Abbasi has expressed disappointment on hockey’s ouster from next year’s Commonwealth Games (CWG) due to an ongoing tiff between the parallel Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) bodies.   

The CWG organisers refused to further extend the deadline for the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) to allow their participation in the multi-sporting event to be staged in Scotland.

It was mandatory for the PHF to show its intention for participation towards the Arif Hasan-led POA as the International Olympic Charter (IOC) recognises his body. Instead, it turned to the government-run Pakistan Sports Board that supports a parallel POA body run by Akram Sahi, which is not recognized by the IOC.

Abbasi termed Pakistan’s exit from the CWG another huge setback for the national game after the team’s failure to qualify for the 2014 World Cup.

“In a sense it’s a bigger loss,” Abbasi told The Express Tribune.

“We can rise from the lows of the World Cup fiasco, but we will stand nowhere if we’re deprived of participating in such a major event due to conflicts at an administrative level.”

The seasoned striker said Pakistan’s absence from the event would have repercussions.

“It’s a tough tournament that includes Australia and England. We don’t have many major events and it was supposed to be our toughest assignment next year before the Asian Games.

“Now the team will miss valuable practice ahead of the Asian Games where we will have to defend our title. And then we may also face issues in qualifying for the Olympics.

“POA officials who are battling for power must think about the national game by keeping their personal interests aside.”

POA chief Hasan confirmed that the team’s participation was not possible as the CWG organisers withdrew invitation and handed it to Trinidad and Tobago — the reserved side which confirmed their entry yesterday.

‘Revival without solving issues impossible’

Abbasi believes in the greenshirts’ ability to bounce back, but he stated that it would be impossible without a solution to the problems at hand.

“Yes, Pakistan hockey is down but it’s not down forever. The greenshirts will bounce back like they did in the past by winning the 1994 World Cup. However, these issues need a unanimous solution as without it, our revival is impossible.”

Meanwhile, the former captain added that he had no intentions to retire from Pakistan hockey.

“I can still play for Pakistan for the next five to six years. I will continue to serve my team till I am fit.”

He said he had various league offers from Germany and Holland after the Asia Cup, but he had no intentions to play league in the near future.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 18^th, 2013.

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