The Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) president, Tariq Bugti, resigned on Thursday amid the ongoing controversy, following the national team’s players being left on the streets during a recent tour of Australia. But before his resignation, he imposed a two-year ban on captain Ammad Shakeel Butt for criticising the national federation.
Bugti confirmed his resignation, stating he had submitted it to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. “I have sent my resignation letter to the PM but I urge him and Field Marshal Asim Munir to conduct an impartial inquiry into the whole situation which took place in Australia during the FIH Pro League hockey” he said.
Players forced to clean kitchen and wash dishes during tour
Meanwhile, Butt also slammed the PHF on Wednesday, revealing that players were forced to clean the kitchen and wash dishes before going out to compete during the tour. During the tour, the Pakistan national team lost all its FIH Pro League matches against Australia and Germany. The defeats came after they were made to spend hours on the road. Also, their hotel declined them entry due to the PHF’s failure to make an advance payment, despite the body receiving the necessary funds from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).
On their return to Pakistan, captain Butt and at least nine other players called for the removal of team management and current PHF leadership. Butt also revealed that the majority of the players haven’t yet received their daily allowances from the PSB and PHF for the past year.
Bugti also claimed that the PSB was the one to blame, as they handled the arrangements for the tour and were responsible for the controversy.
The PSG had reportedly sent a cheque of one million rupees to the PHF for hotel accommodation expenses. When Bugti was asked about it, he failed to provide a clear answer.
Meanwhile, the team’s head coach, Tahir Zaman, announced his intention to resign and accused the players of being indisciplined. He also alleged that Butt had used abusive language against others, which affected the team’s performance. Pakistan will travel to Egypt after 4 months to participate in the final qualifying tournament for the World Cup.
