17 July 2004	Saturday	28 Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1425

LAHORE, July 16: Axed centre-half Mohammad Saqlain on Friday termed his removal from the squad as "harsh treatment" by the team management and Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF).

Saqlain was dropped hours before the team's departure for the European tour last month after he struck team-mate Adnan Maqsood during the final session.

He said although he struck Adnan, it was not an intentional hit and was purely an accident. The midfielder said after the incident he went to Adnan and coach Roelant Oltmans and tendered apologies but both were not willing to accept.

Saqlain claimed Oltmans did not witness the incident and was informed by "someone else." He said it depended on PHF whether it wanted to take the decision through disciplinary committee.

However, he parried the question when asked to point out the person responsible for his ouster, saying he wanted to play for his country and hoped to stage a comeback. He said such incidents had happened in the past, but the players involved were not punished.

Saqlain claimed that 80 per cent short corners awarded to Pakistan were due to his passes that helped Sohail Abbas cross 200-goals mark. He said Oltmans had too admitted his contribution to the team and added team was awarded lesser number of short corners during European tour because of his absence.

He said since he had a desire to become an Olympian, he would continue his efforts to play at the Olympics.