Interim PHF president lifts ban on hockey team captain amid Pro League controversy

The newly appointed interim president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, announced the lifting of the ban on the national team captain, Ammad Shakeel Butt, state-run APP reported on Friday. On Thursday, former president Tariq Hussain Bugti imposed a two-year ban on national captain Butt, citing findings of a committee regarding alleged misconduct. He also announced his resignation amid controversy over the national team’s tour of Australia for the FIH Pro League. In a statement issued today, the interim president lifted the ban, stressing that “transparency and fairness would guide all decisions under his tenure,” APP quoted him as saying. Wani, who was the Secretary of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), also vowed to “revive and strengthen the country’s national game”. He gave assurances to the stakeholders that a comprehensive plan would be developed, “aimed at stabilising the federation, rebuilding trust and revamping team management to restore Pakistan’s lost glory in international hockey”. “As the newly appointed ad-hoc president of PHF, I assure stakeholders of our commitment to revive and strengthen hockey in Pakistan,” APP quoted him as saying. He added that “immediate steps” were underway to resolve “organisational and administrative issues”. Wani elaborated that the “short-term” focus of the federation would be to stabilise its affairs, and the medium-term plan involved “developing a clear strategic vision, enhancing coaching and training structures and fostering institutional coordination among relevant bodies”. The interim president also shared plans that the federation aims to partner with the private sector to ensure improved support to the players. “Our players should focus on training and matches, while we handle the rest,” he was quoted as saying. He assured that “welfare and performance would remain at the centre of reforms”. Additionally, he announced elections for a new PHF leadership and expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “reposing trust in him” as the interim head, as per APP. On Thursday, PM Shehbaz appointed Wani as ad-hoc president of the federation, following the resignation of his predecessor. The developments came amid controversy over the national team’s tour of Australia, where accommodation arrangements could not be secured on time, forcing players to spend several hours on the road. The team’s overall performance in the Pro League also came under criticism. However, shortly after Bugti’s resignation, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi met the hockey players, including Ammad Butt and Hanan Shahid. Speaking to the media after the meeting, when asked about the reported two-year ban, Butt said Naqvi told him there was no ban and that the same team that toured Australia would travel to Egypt. The ban had reportedly been imposed under the PHF constitution, raising questions over the process for its reversal.

By none@none.com (APP)