LAHORE: Secretary Gen­eral Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Shahbaz Ahmad on Friday threatened legal action against those elements who are ‘jealous of progress made in the national game and are trying to defame it.’

In a press statement, Shahbaz said: “The PHF is a respectable national organization which has put Pakistan hockey on the right track as per the vision of the country’s Prime Minister.”

“For the preparation of the national team, the PHF has acquired the services of a very well reputed Dutch coach and an experienced Australian physical trainer. There has been consistent improvement in team’s performance ever since they took over which is visible to everyone.

“However, certain jealous elements are not happy with it. To gain cheap popularity in the general public, these people have resorted to illegal and immoral activities, especially through social media.

“All this is bringing a bad name to the national game. But PHF will not be blackmailed by any one and it will soon take legal action against them,” the secretary said.

“Unfortunately, some people we had trusted upon are now the biggest hurdle in the promotion of hockey at the grassroots level.

Plans are afoot to reinvigorate domestic hockey by employing capable coaches so as to prepare talented players for national teams,” he concluded.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018