THE latest rankings issued by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) have put Pakistan a step backward at the fifth place, with Spain having leap-frogged ahead of both Pakistan and India to finish fourth. As I see it, the downfall is not just that of Pakistan, but of Asian hockey in general. Among the top four in the rankings are now three European outfits — Netherlands, Germany and Spain. The European ascendancy is very much there in concrete terms, and the only thing to achieve for them now is to somehow out-manoeuvre from the elite group Australia, which has successfully retained its position at the top of the recently FIH listings.
In terms of the basic identity, however, the game of hockey is now very much identified with the continent of Europe, and not with Asia. The spread of the game is much more in the former than in the latter, and the same is the case with other related areas, including success in major tournaments, like the Olympics, the World Cup and the Champions Trophy.
A look at the recently announced top-ten list shows three Asians — Pakistan at fifth position, India on sixth, and Korea on seventh — while there are four European outfits in Holland, Germany, Spain in second, third and fourth positions, followed by England on tenth. Australia at the top and New Zealand on ninth position represent the Oceania group, while Argentina, on eighth position, is the sole representative of South America.
While most of the positions are very much in line with previous rankings, the spectacular jump by Spain is the most striking feature of the latest edition. We will talk about this change in Spanish fortunes some other time, as for the moment I wish to focus on what we in Asia have to do to regain our lost glory in the long run, and to somehow regain our lost positions in the FIH rankings in the short run.
There can be little doubt that it is time for hockey federations across Asia to put their thinking caps on, and chart out a rational course of action. The task is enormous and
will not be achieved overnight, but it is a task well worth the effort. The seemingly insurmountable problem is form where to begin. If you concentrate on the national side alone, nurseries get dried up. If you shift the focus onto the grassroots, short-term international success is compromised, which is so very vital to sustain the interest of the youngsters. Then there are so many areas within the national team that have to be professionally prioritized in order to maximize our efforts.
The fact of the matter is that hockey has been neglected for so long in Asia that now there is no easy way to set things right except adopting a multi-pronged approach and to sustain it for at least five years, if not more. In terms of Pakistan, the PHF alone cannot set things right; it would need firm commitment on the part of the government and the media to join hands with the PHF, to provide the necessary funding, to mobilize all possible channels, and to work together to give the game its rightful position as the national game of the country.
On its part, Pakistan Hockey Federation should seriously consider launching a nationwide talent hunt scheme targeting the 14-18 age group, and then groom the lot for gradual induction into the mainstream. If the PHF could sustain itself on both fronts — hunting and grooming — for, say, five years, it will do a great service to the game and to the nation in the long run. This is the minimum that we shall consider doing seriously.
