LAHORE: Pakistan’s hockey team departed for the Asian Games in Hangzhou from Islamabad on Thursday with Dilawar Hussain being the only member of the coaching panel accompanying them.

Head coach Shahnaz Sheikh and coach Shakeel Abbasi could not travel with the team as their accreditations had not been issued by the Asian Games organising committee yet with team manager Olympian Saeed Khan set to act as head coach.

The Pakistan Hockey Fed­e­ration had initially submitted the names of Dila­wer, Rehan Butt and Moha­mmad Saqlain as part of the coaching staff but the latter two were then exclu­ded on the wishes of Shahnaz.

“We are still waiting for the issuance of accreditations for both Shahnaz Sheikh and Shakeel Abbasi but for now, Saeed will act as head coach,” PHF secretary Haider Hussain told Dawn, adding that there had been complications in retaining Rehan and Saqlain as coaches.

Published in Dawn, September 22th, 2023