Pakistan hockey hit rock bottom when, for the first time in 55 years the team returned home empty-handed from the Asian Games.

Under the present Pakistan Hockey Federation setup the team has created all time record of poor performance by losing to New Zealand 1-7, having conceded three goals against China in the just concluded Busan Asian Games and finally losing even the bronze medal after being beaten by the lowly placed Malaysia, 6-1.

The PHF, after the team’s poor performance in Commonwealth Games and having lost twice to India— in the third place play-off in Champions Trophy and the Asian Games semifinal, have no excuse to remain in office. All their tall claims of rebuilding of the team or abundance of talent have now been fully exposed.

The downfall of hockey has not been a day’s work. It started when Mr Nawaz Tiwana was president of PHF and since then all his successors — Farooq Omar, Akhtar Rasool and the present chief have not been able to find the cause of this decline.

Gen Aziz, the present PHF chief, because of his professional commitments, cannot be accused of negligence. He, however, cannot be absolved of the responsibility wholly as his trusted man, Brig Musarrat Ullah, has let him down by not keeping him abreast with the developments or about the “mafia” which has taken over the affairs of hockey in the country.

The PHF secretary who became, part of the selection procedure with no background of the game played in the hands of those who were least interested in the game or its improvement. They manipulated the appointment of three coaches for the national team setting a new record as nowhere in the world in any team game three coaches and a manager is associated with a team.

This policy, instead of building any team spirit, created four different groups as the players tried to gain favour of anyone of them. It resulted in back biting among the players for gaining favour of one of the four officials.

The choice of the coaches too had the trade mark of the “hockey mafia”. It is never considered good management to give senior position to anyone who has failed at lower level. The present national coach, Tahir Zaman coached the junior team which failed to qualify for the Junior World Cup but was “promoted” as coach of the senior string.

Likewise, the present coach of the junior team, Ayaz Mahmood, was coach of the junior team which had failed to qualify for the World Cup. It may be added that Ayaz had refused to take Sohail Abbas in the junior team who was selected for the senior team before the juniors returned after their failure. This is just one case of glaring omission.

Ever since, Sohail appeared on the hockey horizon, the experts of the game felt that he was weak in field play. During this period, one has watched all the national coaches, who are at least a dozen could not improve his positional play which time and again has been exploited by the opponents. Due to negligence of these coaches, Sohail’s utility as a penalty-corner specialist has been wasted.

Now it has become a tradition that when people are not in power they pinpoint all possible faults in individual players and drawbacks in training. They question the age of the players when not in power just because everyone wants instant success and no one is prepared to lay a foundation stone for the future.

It is unfortunate that hockey does not have any patron. According to the PHF constitution, the prime minister is the patron-in-chief. Since Gen Pervez Musharraf took over the government and held the office of chief executive he hardly interfered in hockey affairs and left everything to Gen Aziz who is a high ranking officer and President Musharraf had no doubt about his capabilities.

Since President Musharraf quit the post of CEO hockey was left as an orphan. The Federal Sports Minister, Col (Retd) S.K Tressler, was perhaps the weakest minister in Gen Musharraf’s cabinet as he hardly made his presence felt or exerted himself as country’s sports minister. Interestingly he was named chairman of the PHF selection committee, but never attended the selection trials.

Now with the change of political scenario, one hopes that the new prime minister who will be an elected representative will take note of the humiliation the country has faced because of the inefficiency, inability and incompetence of the people who are running the PHF.

One would expect the future prime minister to pay serious attention to the national game, and in his first available time convene a meeting of senior hockey players to work out a plan for the promotion of the game. Hockey should not be allowed to be exploited by opportunists who cannot see anything beyond their personal glory and put it back on the right track.