ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), despite its tall claims, has failed to organise the inaugural Pakistan Hockey League (PHL) after getting a cold shoulder from the government. This failure clearly shows that the present management of the PHF incompetent and has not been able to convince the government regarding the importance of the PHL. Now the national federation has decided to postpone the PHL which was scheduled to be launched in November. As per the initial plans, around two dozen foreign players were expected to take part in the high-profile hockey league which was envisaged on the lines of cricket’s cash rich Pakistan Super League. The major hurdle in launching the hockey league was the non-issuance of No Objection Certificate (NOC) by the Punjab government for which the PHF had applied well before time but failed to receive it despite the passage of a few months. “We have decided to postpone the PHL after failing to get any response from the government,” a PHF spokesman was quoted as saying Wednesday, while referring to the non-issuance of NOC by the government.
Six franchises were to vie for honours in the hockey league matches a majority of which were to be held in Lahore, Faisalabad and Gojra with each side having participation of three foreign players. However, the delays and non-issuance of NOC notwithstanding, there still appear a ray of hope for the PHF who is now planning to hold the league in April next year. “Our home work is complete and if the government gives permission, we could easily hold the event with the same enthusiasm in April next year,” maintained the PHF official. Talking about the response of the foreign players, the former Olympian said that Pakistan enjoyed a rich history in the game of hockey due to which many foreign players were interested in coming to Pakistan for the league. “We are in touch with almost 35 foreign players,” he claimed and boasted while stating that several top stars were keen to visit Pakistan and regularly contacted the PHF about the expected launch of the league. “We ruled the world of hockey for decades. So, of course, foreign players want to come here,” said he, adding that the development and growth of young players relied on success of the league. “Youth could not be attracted towards the national game without giving decent financial benefits to players,” he further said. “Whenever it is held, the league will definitely give a boost to our players who will have the opportunity to play alongside the foreign players on the home soil apart from getting lucrative financial benefits,” concluded the PHF official.