LAHORE, July 8: Despite Pakistan Sports Board’s (PSB) negative attitude towards the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF), the national team has reached the second leg of the 2014 world championship Asian zone qualifiers held in Colombo.

Pakistan along with India qualified for the second leg at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka and the Maldives, but lost their game against arch-rivals India.

The 2014 world championship is scheduled to be held in Poland.

PVF president Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob in a press statement on Monday regretted that the PSB did not allow the spikers to continue their training camp at the Jinnah Sports Complex ten days before the team’s departure for the important assignment.

Furthermore, Army and the Pakistan Air Force did not permit their volleyball players to feature in the July 3-5 international contest, giving preference to the so-called National Games, which ended in Islamabad last Thursday.

“But despite all those hurdles and problems, the Pakistan team has qualified for the next round, which will be held in South Korea,” Yaqoob stated.

“Had our team not experienced such problems, they would have returned unbeaten, by also beating India in the qualifiers.”

He underlined that Pakistan — despite playing with several second-string spikers — made the whole nation proud by marching into the second qualifying round.

“This is tremendous achievement by Pakistan as around half members of the original team — including two setters, as many receivers-cum-power attackers and one central blocker — were not available due to the negative attitude of the Army and the PAF.”

However, he added, new setter Akhtar, Aimal Khan Nasir and Ali Abbas produced outstanding performances in Colombo.

“But it is also a fact that Army and PAF players, who were not allowed to represent the country are national assets, trained and groomed by the PVF, so it has the first right on them,” Yaqoob stressed.

“This is all due to the petty politics being spurred on by the PSB and some defeated elements who are spoiling the country’s sporting environment.”

Meanwhile, president of the Pakistan Olympic Association retired Gen Arif Hasan said in his reaction: “The Pakistan Sports Complex was established by the state with funds coming from the exchequer. It is nobody’s personal property. It needs to be investigated as to why the PSB threw national players out with just 10 days ahead of an international event of great significance.”