Pakistan’s hockey captain, Ammad Shakeel Butt, has come clean: he lied on camera. Recently, a video went viral showing the Pakistan team stranded on the streets of Sydney, surrounded by their luggage. Shortly after that, Butt released a video saying everything was fine. But now that the team is back in Lahore, he has admitted that the video was a cover-up.
Butt confessed that he only released the video claiming everything was fine because team management pressured him. They told him the news of their struggle had reached India and was damaging Pakistan’s reputation. To protect the country’s image, he hid the truth about their ordeal. However, he admitted on Wednesday the situation in Sydney was a total nightmare.
Pakistan had travelled to Australia for the second leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League but were left stranded in Sydney, forced to wait for hours with their luggage after their hotel bookings were cancelled. The cancellations reportedly occurred because the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) had not cleared the hotel payments.
The players were left without proper accommodation and had to manage on their own. Pakistan lost all four matches during the tour and returned to Lahore on Wednesday morning, where no PHF official was present to receive them. Butt told reporters the experience was deeply humiliating, adding that the players struggled even to get food on time.
Eventually, the team found accommodation at a local facility, but the ordeal did not end there, as they were forced to wash dishes and clothes even on matchdays.
“If I talk about the Australia tour, I will begin with the flights and hotel arrangements. After landing in Sydney, we were made to roam around near the Opera Street for 12 to 15 hours like helpless people. No one took responsibility for our team. There was no hotel arranged for us, and we were not given food on time,” Ammad said.
“From Sydney, we then travelled to Hobart. Let me first clarify that whatever news reached Pakistan is completely true. The videos that were sent from my team and by me were real. However, we were told by our team management that the matter had reached India. When India was mentioned, I personally felt that this was about my country, and my country should not be defamed. So I made a video saying that everything was fine and no injustice was happening with the team. But in reality, that was not true. Whatever messages, videos, and reports came out are all true,” said Butt.
‘BOYS HAD TO DO THEIR DAILY CHORES’
Butt said he was proud of his side’s performance during the tour, as his players were forced to take care of themselves Down Under in the local accommodation they got after waiting for a day.
“The boys wake up and prepare their own breakfast. They wash dishes for two to three hours. They clean their bedrooms and toilets themselves. We have no proper rest time. The players have been mentally disturbed. How can we perform for Pakistan under such conditions?” said Butt.
The Pakistan skipper said they talked to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), who told them that the PHF had been given funds for the tour. However, he claimed that the team management lied to them that the money was not released.
“I don’t know whether the Sports Board is at fault or the Pakistan Hockey Federation is at fault. But one thing is certain — our team management has lied to us repeatedly,” said Butt.
“You asked who is responsible for the poor arrangements, poor accommodation, and poor food. I am holding the team management responsible. But I want to clarify that the Hockey Federation is also at fault. However, we do not directly communicate with the Federation; we communicate through team management. Sheikh Usman and Shehzaman made several claims to us, but those statements were baseless and false.”
PAKISTAN HOCKEY IN TURMOIL
The Australia fiasco is the latest chapter in the turmoil faced by Pakistan hockey in the past few months. During the first phase of the Pro League in Argentina, complaints about unpaid dues were raised by the players, who threatened a boycott.
The team is currently without a manager as Olympian Anjum Saeed was ousted due to indiscipline after smoking inside an aircraft.
