PHF suffers six million loss: Secretary

Friday, November 14, 2008

KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is claiming that it lost almost six million rupees after a five-match junior Test series between Pakistan and India was cancelled earlier this week over security fears.

Asif Bajwa, the PHF secretary, said that all arrangements were made for a successful hosting of the series that was to be played from November 11-21 in Karachi, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Lahore. However, the Indian government refused to clear the country’s junior team for the series, leaving the PHF highly disappointed.

“We had already spent five to six million rupees on the preparations for the series and that’s a huge loss,” said Bajwa, a former Olympian.

Bajwa said that the PHF has learnt its lesson from the fiasco and will seek permission from the governments involved before finalising a home series.

He said that Pakistan were also seriously considering the option of playing hockey matches at offshore venues.

He pointed out that Pakistan hockey is going through a lean patch and the country’s team has to play ample number of matches to bounce back on the world circuit.