LAHORE: While attributing their failure to qualify for the hockey event of this year’s Paris Olympics to inadequate preparations, Pakistan head coach Shahnaz Sheikh and captain Ammad Butt on Thursday said the current members of the national team were talented and required time to settle and win major international events.

“Yes it [Muscat event] was a great opportunity for Pakistan to qualify for the Olympics after reaching the semi-final. It was the first time in almost ten years that Pakistan played a semi-final of such an international event,” a dejected-looking Shahnaz said while talking to reporters in Lahore.

The Ammad-led Pakistan finished fourth at the eight-nation Olympic qualifying event held in Muscat earlier this month. The top three teams of the event — Germany (winners), Great Britain (runners-up) and New Zealand (thirdplace) — qualified for the July 26-Aug 11 Paris Olympics. Pakistan, after being crushed by Germany 4-0 in the semi-final, suffered a 3-2 loss to New Zealand in the third-place playoff which ousted the former three-time Olympic champions from the qualification race.

Pakistan hockey team, the world beaters of the past, have touched new lows in the past decade or so. After claiming a poor seventh spot at the 2012 London Olympics, the country failed to even qualify for the 2016 (Rio de Janeiro) and 2020 (Tokyo) Olympic Games.

“Being a former Olympian, I can surely feel the sentiments of the [national team] players as it is a dream of every player to compete in the Olympics,” the 74-year-old Shahnaz said, and added that Pakistan had registered their protest officially against some controversial umpiring decisions made during the third-place playoff against New Zealand.

The head coach, while highlighting several management-related setbacks faced by the Pakistan squad in the lead-up to the Muscat event, reckoned the players did their best on the field.

“We set up the [national] training camp on Dec 28 and selected the squad [just] after three days in order to meet the International Hockey Federation (FIH) deadline for submission of the players’ names [for Muscat event],” Shahnaz said.

“Moreover, we left for Oman in three phases and [therefore] could hardly unite in Muscat on Jan 13 before playing the opening match against England, a much superior squad, after a couple of days.

“But gradually the team gathered momentum to defeat China [2-0] and also qualified for the semi-final after playing a [3-3] draw against Malaysia,” Shahnaz said.

Despite Pakistan’s failure to qualify for the Paris Games, the head coach believed the current players of the national squad had great talent which should not be spoiled by any wrong decision.

“It will be a different team in the upcoming Azlan Shah Cup and in an eight-nation tournament,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ammad at the presser said no doubt it was highly disappointing for every Pakistani that the country could not qualify for the Olympics for the third time in a row.

“As captain, I take the responsibility for this [poor] performance,” the 28-year-old Ammad told reporters.

“But my team is good and all players have respect for each other and they are talented.”

The skipper continued, “Yes, we could not quablify for the Olympics, but if the same team is retained for the future the days are not far when Pakistan will again shine in international hockey.”

To a question, Ammad said that it was unfortunate that the players of the national team had not received their daily allowances — amounting to Rs25-26 million —pending for the last six, seven months.

“Look the players also have to run their families for which they need money,” the captain emphasised.

“I have requested the head coach to bring this matter into the notice of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) regularly.

“I do hope whenever the PHF arranges funds it will consider the players’ [long overdue] payments as its first priority.”

Commenting on the inaugural Five-a-Side Hockey World Cup being held in Muscat, Ammad said though he was disappointed at being overlooked for the event, all the players chosen by the selectors were good.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2024