Mismanagement on opening day

Published April 21, 2004

KARACHI, April 20: Chaos and mismanagement were the order of the day at Junior Asia Cup hockey which began on Tuesday. The power points installed at media enclosure proved dummies as there was no electricity.

Although PHF installed a new electronic scoreboard and clock, both were worthless as it was impossible to see it moving because of inadequate brightness. While debris of old furniture was scattered at one end, a number of chairs in general enclosure were broken, while washrooms stinking and filthy.

The stands remained empty throughout the day even during the game between Pakistan and Singapore. The reason was PHF had closed all the gates except main entrance, while hockey fans were being stopped and asked to return by police at various points. Media personnel also faced hardships as they were not allowed to park their cars near the stadium despite having parking stickers provided by the organizers.