September 07, 2007	Friday	Sha'aban 24, 1428

LAHORE, Sept 6: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has expressed annoyance over speculations about the Indian Hockey Federation’s (IHF) chances of playing hosts to the forthcoming Champions Trophy hockey tournament in view of the security problems in Pakistan.

The event, which was to be held at the National Hockey Stadium from Dec 1 to 9, is in doldrums after Australia and South Korea withdrew citing security problems.

In an statement on Thursday, PHF media manager Altaf Sabir said: “Despite Hockey Australia’s official pull-out and South Korea’s unofficial remarks, the Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) has so far maintained its decision to hold the tournament as per the initial plan at the National Hockey Stadium, Lahore.”

“As the PHF has not received any official intimation from the FIH or the Korean Hockey Federation about their stance, Indian Hockey Federation’s campaign is seen as uncalled for and misleading.”

“For the Indian hockey officials, it has always been a dream to play in this elite event. But the dream turns into a nightmare each time their team hits rock bottom in world events. Remarks made by the Korean coach in the Indian press do not carry any weight since they could be off the cuff and thus hold no official line. Even if they decline, it has to come from the Korean Hockey Federation,” said Altaf.

“So the Indian media’s propaganda about shifting venues from Lahore to Chandigarh seems to have backfired for the moment since FIH Marketing Manager Bob Dividzon, who was in Chennai for the ongoing Asia Cup, was reluctant to confirm whether a decision has been taken regarding the matter,” he said.

“It’s abundantly clear that the FIH, when it meets by September 15, to make the final decision, will have to cross a lot of hurdles in case it opts for a shift,” the media manager warned.