KARACHI, Dec 12: A large number of former players, officials and dignitaries gathered at the Hockey Club of Pakistan (HCP) on Friday to pay tribute to Pakistan Hockey Federation’s (PHF) former secretary and captain Brig Manzoor Hussain Atif who passed away earlier this week.

Chaired by Olympian Hasan Sardar, the chairman selection committee, the meeting highlighted Brig Atif’s several contributions to Pakistan hockey with the hope that the PHF would keep his memory alive by naming an academy after him or starting a regular tournament in his name.

While speaking on the occasion, Hasan Sardar said that Brig Atif was especially lucky to have played for Pakistan in as many as four Olympics. “It was also under his esteemed management that Pakistan came back to win several tournaments including the 1982 World Cup, the Asian Games and the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics,” Hasan pointed out.

“He stressed on fitness and physical training and his individual tips to all players were especially beneficial,” said Hasan while recalling how he himself used to get frustrated on missing passes during a match. “But Atif sahib showed me how to handle that and play the best I could in my corridor, which he reminded me was from pole to pole,” he said.

Hasan also pointed out while speaking of Atif’s questionable decisions that he may have earned much criticism for them but then there were many other decisions also taken by him that greatly benefited Pakistan hockey.

About Atif’s commitment to his country and its national game, PHF’s Director Administration, Olympian Iftikhar Syed said: “He would order everyone to only be seen in the Pakistan tracksuit during camp.”

Calling him the ‘Father of Hockey’, Olympian Salim Sherwani said that he had many ideas during hockey’s grass-to-Astroturf transformation, several of which clicked.

International Safdar Abbas recounted his exceptional ability to read the players. “I would call him a mastermind, who was bold enough to experiment on the field by changing our playing positions,” he said.

Sports writer Sardar Khan who has also co-authored a book on the late player titled Atif — The Living Legend of Hockey said that he felt proud to have known a larger than life personality like Atif and urged for further research to be carried out on him on the university level.

Meanwhile, international athlete Mohammad Talib, a close associate of Brig Atif said: “Atif had several roles as a player, captain, manager, coach and administrator all of which need to be looked into before understanding the man.”

The meeting, followed by Quran Khwani, was also attended by Sindh’s Secretary for Sports Shoaib Siddiqui; Secretary Karachi Cricket Association Siraj Bukhari; former umpire Saeed Siddiqui; Karachi Hockey Association (KHA) President Farooq Khan, KHA Honorary Secretary Gulfraz Ahmed Khan and KHA media coordinator Ghulam Mohammad Khan, who also conducted the meeting.

The meeting, the first in a series of condolence meetings being organised by the PHF, will be followed by two more references at Lahore’s National Hockey Stadium (11.00am) and at the PHF office in Rawalpindi at 3.00pm on Saturday.