‘PHF should avoid taking confused decisions’

E-Paper | May 03, 2026

KARACHI: Former legendary Olympian Samiullah on Wednesday said the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was now taking too much pressure after the World Hockey League (WHL) disaster and as a consequence was now taking incoherent decisions.

“The PHF is now taking too much pressure on itself in order to enable the team to perform in next month’s Asia Cup in Malaysia. I fear the team will not be able to perform due to the atmosphere surrounding the team and the management in the important event,” Samiullah underlined.

The federation was out of its wits and in order to make a comeback in the Asia Cup, it was now taking confused decisions, he insisted.

“I don’t think recalling goal-keeper Salman Akbar to the training camp is a prudent decision. He is now 34 and has been out of touch from international hockey for around two years. Either the decision to drop him from national ranks was a wrong decision or if it was correct two years back then calling him back after two years has to be wrong surely,” Samiullah explained.

However, Samiullah praised Salman for being an impressive goal-keeper acknowledging he did a good job during his prime days.

Samiullah also criticised the coaches for not allowing Shakeel Abbasi to feature in the camp only because the player has been fasting in the holy month of Ramazan.—Agencies

Our readers are at the heart of everything we do.
Do you have a thought to share or a way we can improve? We’d love to hear it. Reach out to us at feedback@dawn.com.

Sport

Ex-F1 driver turned Paralympic legend Alex Zanardi dies aged 59

Islamabad United blink in last over as Hyderabad Kingsmen win cliffhanger to make PSL decider

Palestinian football chief slams Israeli official at FIFA meeting

M. Ahmed

Jul 25, 2013 11:29am

Our hockey team has the potential to be in the top three teams in the world. All we need is a good coach that can polish the team and a management that can keep politics at bay and maintain focus on the game and players. One of the key areas where our players seem to lag is physical fitness, that can be addressed easily by putting together a well thought our physical fitness program, also conducting training camps at high altitude (like Muree, Abbottabad) will improve the cardio-vascular fitness of the players. PHF should avoid conducting training camps at Karachi and Lahore, in particular Karachi as it is at sea level and is not suitable if one wants to develop stamina...

Recommend 0

Branded Content

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa expands climate action with one Million Tree Drive and forest reforms

The province is turning policy into action through a series of large scale programmes aimed at rebuilding ecosystems and improving resilience against rising climate pressures.

Taptap Send, Arshad Nadeem partner to highlight Pakistan’s unsung champions

The initiative comes at a time when cricket continues to dominate national attention, often overshadowing achievements in other sports.

NexGen Auto (Nishat Group) to Introduce iCAUR in Pakistan

As one of Pakistan’s leading business groups, Nishat Group operates across key sectors including textiles, cement, banking, insurance, power and agriculture.