LAHORE, June 18: Former Olympian Khizer Bajwa on Wednesday lashed out at Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) saying country has talented players but are being ruined by wrong policies.

“I will not hold the players responsible for all the poor performances, but it is the PHF which could not draw maximum output from them,” he told a press conference.

“It is a talented lot of players. There will be no such players in the future if PHF continues its policy,” said Khizer, who represented the country at Tokyo Olympics in 1964 and Bangkok Asian Games in 1966, before becoming an international umpire in 1972.

He said lack of planning was damaging the sport and advised the PHF to prepare a plan for achieving better results at next year’s Athens Olympics.

He did not agree that PHF had no time to prepare the team for the forthcoming Champions Trophy in August in The Netherlands and Olympics.

“We have good players but we only need better planning to win,” he added.

The game had suffered due to dirty politics between the officials of departments affiliated with the federation, he alleged.

He said PHF should induct those officials in the team management and the selection committee who were not biased and had no interest in their departments.

Khizer said manager Shahnaz Sheikh was being paid handsomely by the PTCL for training their squad. Shahnaz, he claimed, could not avoid politics and the welfare of the PTCL players.

Similarly, coach Tahir Zaman was also indulged in Gojra politics, Khizer said and criticised the PHF for appointing those as team officials who failed to find a place in the team few years ago.

“Tahir Zaman, and before him, Shahbaz Ahmad, both were appointed coaches of the squad in which they were struggling to get into. Such a decision is bound to start dirty politics,” he said Khizer asked.

Olympian suggested every official inducted in the selection committee or in the team management should be at least 10 years senior to the lot he was coaching and selecting.

He claimed by appointing right officials and adopting Asian style of hockey, the team could win the title in Athens.

“If I recommend any person as official, PHF will never appoint him,” Khizer said when asked about the people who should be inducted as team officials.

He said the Asian style was the only key to success and added India, after wasting two decades, had again adopted the Asian style some four years back and now were getting the results.

Khizer said PHF had been inviting the master coaches to Pakistan to please the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

“Why the FIH is not appointing its master coaches for the Netherlands, Germany or Australia?. Why the FIH is sending the coaches to Macau, Pakistan or China,” he asked.

Khizer also lambasted at the PHF for nominating wrong officials in the different committees of the FIH and AHF.

He said only those officials could get benefit for the country from the FIH and AHF who had ability to develop good liaison and not those who wanted to get travel and daily allowances.

The Olympian urged the PHF to hold a fair inquiry into the case of indiscipline by four players — Mohammad Nadeem, Sohail Abbas, Waseem Ahmad, and Amir Saleem — who went abroad to play league without informing PHF.

He said strict punishment should be given to the players and those who were involved, whether it was the manager or the coach.

The former umpire slammed the PHF for not engaging sponsors for its teams’ hockey sticks and other gear. “Every national player is going to Sialkot to beg for sponsorship for his hockey stick”

He dispelled the impression the team collapsed at the recent Australian tour due to absence of the three senior players.

“What PHF achieved with those senior players in tournaments except Azlan Shah Cup?,” he asked.