The new Karachi hockey academies have not produced a single talented boy: Hanif Khan.—APP photo

KARACHI: PHF Chief Selector Olympian Hanif Khan has said that the hockey academies in Karachi are yet to produce any notable talent in the game.

'The new Karachi hockey academies have not produced a single talented boy as yet but Pm happy to see fresh talent coming from the other PHF academies spread nationwide, said Hanif candidly.

'We have some 500 talented boys and they are so good that when their time comes they will make the country forget about current big names like Sohail Abbas and Shakeel Abbasi,' he said.

Asked why Karachi was lagging behind in producing good players as it had done in the past, the chief selector said: 'Few people here give time to hockey.

But the PHF has assured me that it will do all it can to change this and promote the game in the city, which is also why they are holding the National Hockey Championship here.

The 59th National Hockey Championship will be played at Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium in Karachi from Jan 26 to Feb 11. The PHF on Wednesday said that the national team coach Michel van dan Heuvel would also be present in the city to watch the event.

'We will also take Michel's input during the championship,' Hanif concluded.