March 16, 2007	Friday	Safar 26, 1428

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LAHORE, March 15: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), which has hired a local paid coach on an undisclosed lucrative package, is yet to pay daily allowance to the national team players who participated in Doha Asian Games last December.

PHF had scarcity of funds when it sent the squad to Doha Games and opted to delay the payment of allowances to the players to save money.

When contacted the PHF secretary Akhtarul Islam on Thursday admitted that team members had not been paid their daily allowance while citing an illogical reason and blaming the then team manager Shahnaz Sheikh for the delay.

"PHF has not received a detailed report as yet from the then team manager Shahnaz Sheikh, informing the federation which player will get the allowances from which date. That’s why we are unable to give the allowances to the players," the secretary said.

He said that PHF was now in a position to pay the allowances to the players after being given Rs20 million by the federal government and Rs10 million by the NWFP government.

Islahuddin Siddiqui has been hired by the PHF as first paid local coach recently. Though Akhtar has flatly refused to announce the package, sources said the former captain would receive Rs200,000 per month.