The Pakistan Hockey Federation has drawn a comprehensive training programmer for the national team and is also streamlining practice matches for the Olympics team with the foreign teams of repute particularly during the team’s tour of Europe.
PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa who returned from Malaysia after watching the national junior team participate in the 9th Junior Asia Cup, also praised the performance of Pakistan Junior Hockey Team and showed full confidence on players and the team management, who got silver medal in the 7th Junior Asia Cup played in Malacca from 3rd to 13th May 2012. The junior team has also qualified for the coming Junior World Cup 2013, which is really an achievement, he added. He said that as a part of training programme, the junior team will play 4-Nation Tournament being held in China in the month of August 2012 and 7-Nation Tournament to be played in Malaysia in the month of November 2012. After Junior Super League in the month of December 2012 or January 2013, the PHF intends to organise a 4-Nation Junior Hockey Tournament in Pakistan. The junior hockey team will visit 5 European countries for a training tour in the months of May and June 2013.
He further said that participation in 21st Sultan Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament from May 24 to June 3, the national senior team will undertake a training tour of Europe and will play two matches against German hockey team in Cologne, one match against Belgian hockey team and one match against Dutch hockey team. After European tour a 16 member’s team for the London Olympic 2012 will be announced. This team will go to London on 11th July for pre-Olympic training at Cannock Hockey Club Birmingham for 10 days. The team will also play matches against Belgium, New Zealand or Argentina, Belgium match is confirmed and efforts are being made to have second match out of the two nations.
PHF Disciplinary Committee who have had a session with those national players who took part in an unsanctioned event i.e. World Hockey Series (WHS) will submit the recommendations to PHF by next week. The players have not only violated the PHF Constitution but also ignored the Directives of FIH. The Committee has asked the players to submit their agreements along with the record of first payment received by them. As per the FIH Bye-Laws, any player who signed contract after 31st March 2011, a one year ban can be imposed.
