Pakistan Hockey: Three decades of roller coaster ride

Long time observer and seasoned writer  Ijaz Chaudhry chronicles the vicissitudes of Pakistan hockey as it was in the last three decades. Its a precise portrayal with proper perspective. Every hockey aficionado across the globe wishes to see a strong Pakistan back on the global events. The answer awaits as the Ijaz attempts to put all the facts in the work – Editor

By IJAZ CHOUDHRY

PROLOGUE

Pakistan made its international hockey debut in 1948. What Pakistan achieved from 1948 till 1985 was the envy of the hockey world. In nine Olympics: 3 gold, 3 silver, one bronze & two fourth- place finishes. In five World Cups: Three gold, one silver and a fourth- place finish. They were never missed a semi-final spot at the Olympics or the World Cup in that period during which they also harvested six gold medals and a silver.
When Pakistan first won the Olympic gold in 1960, hockey was officially declared Pakistan’s National Sport.
In the second half of the 1980s, Pakistan went from kings to paupers. The slide started at the 1986 Asian Games. Pakistan, winners of the last four editions, lost the final to South Korea who were yet to appear in the World Cup or Olympics. Worse was to follow in a couple of weeks. The 1986 World Cup saw the two-time defending champion finish 11th out of 12 teams. At the 1988 Olympics they failed to qualify for the semifinals for the first time ever, eventually finishing fifth. 

PAKISTAN’S FIELD HOCKEY IN THE LAST THREE DECADES (1990-2020)

FIRST HALF OF THE 1990s: Pakistan regain some past glory

Lahore staged the seventh World Cup in 1990. Pakistan hosted such a mega event for the first time. The final was played in front of some 65,000 fans at the National stadium – the world’s largest. The noise was deafening but it descended into a morgue-like silence as Pakistan went down to The Netherlands 1-3. Such was the legacy created by the all-conquering Pakistan teams of the past that only first place was acceptable to the nation.

There was some consolation that year, however. The Green Shirts regained the Asian Games gold medal in Beijing later that year. At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Pakistan won all pool matches but lost to Germany 1-2 against the run of play in a semi-final that went to extra-time. They won the bronze medal, however, with a spirited comeback against The Netherlands, overcoming a 0-2 deficit to win 4-3.

Pakistan went from strength to strength and lifted the 1994 Champions Trophy in Lahore, ending a 14-year title drought in the event. After failing to retain the Asian Games gold medal at Hiroshima where they finished with the bronze, Pakistan lifted the World Cup at Sydney later that year. A global title came to them after a decade in dramatic fashion. Pakistan won both the semifinal and final on penalty strokes. Mansoor, the goalkeeper, emerged hero in the shootout However, legendary inside-left Shahbaz Ahmad was the popular choice for the Player of the Tournament award. Called the ‘Maradona of Hockey’, pencil-thin Shahbaz mesmerized hockey fans all over the world for almost a decade.

A lot of credit for winning the World Cup for the fourth time goes to then Pakistan Hockey President Air Vice Marshal (retd) Farooq Umar. He had taken a revolutionary step by affiliating a foreign coach to the national team, the fabled Dutchman Hans Jorritsma who had guided his home nation to the World Cup victory in 1994. A foreign physiotherapist was also hired and a video analysis utilized in full earnest. It all contributed immensely to Pakistan regaining the World crown for a record fourth time.

NEXT DECADE 1996-2006: Barren global medals  

Glory was short lived. Internal bickering and player power played havoc on the eve of the 1996 Olympics. The players revolted, demanding the removal of the existing team management. Preparation suffered and Pakistan finished sixth (their worst ever finish at the Olympics till then). The momentum gained in 1994 was completely lost.

In 10 years (1996-2006), why talk of winning gold? Pakistan didn’t even reach the podium at either the World Cup or Olympics even once. At the continental level, they failed to win the Asian Games or the Asia Cup, which they won three times in a row (1982, 1985 and 1989). Still, they remained part of the big league featuring in the FIH’s annual Champions Trophy (replaced by the FIH Pro League in 2019), apart from the 2000 edition, and also finished among top six at the Olympics and World Cup. Their track record: Olympics: 6th in 1996, 4th in 2000, 5th in 2004. World Cup: 5th in 1998, 5th in 2002, 6th in 2006.

FURTHER FIVE YEARS 2007 to 2012: Dipping to depth

Pakistan achieved worst ever positions in several major title tournaments:
12th and last in the 2010 World Cup,
8th in the 2008 Olympics,
6th in 2007 Asia Cup,
6th in 2010 Commonwealth games At the 2012 Olympics, where Pakistan finished 7th, they lost to Australia 0-7; biggest defeat in over 100 matches in the Olympics Pakistan remained out of the big league (top six) throughout.

They won the Asian Games gold in 2010 after 20 years, however, and that was an achievement that provided some soothing balm. One individual did make Pakistani hockey followers proud, though. Drag flicker Sohail Abbas, in a career from 1998-2012, scored 348 goals which is the highest individual tally in international hockey.

LAST DECADE 2012 ONWARDS:  Disasters are a galore
Failed to qualify for the 2014 World Cup (for the first time) Failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics (for the first time)

When Pakistan were unsuccessful in making it to the 2016 Olympics, the Prime Minister, in his capacity as the Patron in Chief of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, dismissed PHF President Akhtar Rasool, though he was a close associate of the then Prime Minister.

Akhtar Rasool’s replacement was yet another political appointee. Brigadier (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar is a close relative of Ahsan Iqbal, the then federal minister.

Though Pakistan again failed to qualify for the next Olympics (the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics), Khalid Khokhar wasn’t replaced.

The Olympic qualification failure is just one of the incumbent president’s dubious achievements:

During Khalid Khokhar’s tenure:

* The team’s world ranking fell to 17th; it was 10th when Khokhar took over.

* World Cup 2018: The PHF bragged about its great success, “Pakistan managed to qualify; had failed to do so at the previous edition in 2014.” Pakistan’s qualification to the 2018 World Cup was made possible by the FIH’s decision to increase the number of participating teams from 12 to 16. Pakistan’s performance at the 2018 Bhubaneswar World Cup was a disaster: The team finished 12th thus equaling the worst ever finish, scored just two goals; their lowest World Cup tally, and registered a goal difference of – 10, by far their worst.

* Asian Games 2018: Pakistan ended fourth (equaling their worst ever position at the Asian Games)

* Failed to qualify for the Youth Olympics for the first time after finishing a miserable sixth at the qualifiers in 2018; also suffered 1-12 defeat against Malaysia during these qualifiers.

* Pakistan’s worst ever defeat in international hockey: A 1-9 loss to Australia in November, 2017.

ADMINISTRATIVE LAPSES: Withdrawal from Pro League: Apart from on-field failures, there have been notable administrative failures. The most deplorable was the withdrawal of the Pakistan team from the world body’s new flagship event, the FIH Pro League. Despite, a ranking of 13 in 2017, Pakistan were selected by the FIH among the nine teams for the first four years (2019-2022) of the home-and-away event. The Scottish hockey association had graciously agreed to host Pakistan’s home matches as no country was prepared to visit the country at the time. In a move that shocked the whole hockey world, PHF pulled out the team just 10 days before Pakistan’s first match in February 2019 citing financial constraints.

Remember, the PHF had a year and half to plan as the schedule had been announced in July 2017.

The FIH Pro League offered a potential lifeline for Pakistan hockey as they would have competed against world`s best teams annually for at least four years. Some former hockey stalwarts rightly termed this withdrawal as the “PHF’s Crime of the Decade”.

Pakistan couldn’t appear at the last Junior World Cup in 2016 in India, because the PHF had failed to apply for the players’ visas in time. Since late 2016, the PHF has been talking about a hockey league on the pattern of cricket`s PSL with foreign players participating. It has been rescheduled and then deferred over one excuse or another — such as the government’s failure in issuing NOCs or a busy calendar for foreign players playing in European Leagues. Presently, the Covid-19 pandemic has given them a ready made excuse. The fact of the matter is that the corporate sector is reluctant to invest in hockey in the presence of an inept and failed PHF hierarchy.

Ijaz Chaudhry writes on hockey and other sports. For more about him and his work, visit www.sportscorrespondent.info

Note and Courtesy: Most graphics used in the article are collected from various vintage Pakistan publications