New Delhi: Just days after the massive controversy surrounding the horrific circumstances that players underwent on the Australia tour, Pakistan hockey is in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons.
After returning from Australia, Pakistan captain Ammad Butt revealed shocking details of a horrendous experience his team faced Down Under, where the players stayed in AirBNBs and washed their own utensils due to gross mismanagement, including non-payment of accommodations from the Pakistan Hockey Federation.
The revelations sparked outrage in the country, leading to the resignation of PHF president Tariq Bugti.
But some things never change. Pakistan is infamous for its poor management and decision-making in sports federations, and the appointment of interim head coach Khawaja Junaid is a classic example of just that.
Junaid has been given charge of the Pakistan team for the crucial World Cup qualifier tournament in Egypt, and the team, which has flown to the African country, is not happy with the appointment.
Will Junaid controversial past hurt Pakistan’s World Cup chances?
Pakistani players expressed displeasure over the appointment of Junaid due to his controversial past. Juanid was banned for life in 2023 by an inquiry committee of the national federation, but it seems the lifetime ban is no bar for the PHF.
“Junaid will supervise the team and the interim president Muhuyuddin Wani brought him on board because of the short time available before the World Cup qualifiers,” a spokesperson of PHF said.
As per PHF sources, the players were not happy with the appointment of former Olympian Junaid and requested the federation to hire Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans at least for the qualifying tournament.
“Captain Ammad Butt also tried to contact the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Mohsin Naqvi but he was unsucessful,” the source said.
The source said that Junaid was not a popular choice among the Pakistan players due to his record as head coach of the senior and junior teams.
In 2023, Junaid was banned from all hockey-related activities for life after an independent inquiry committee of the PHF found him guilty of messing up a crucial Asia Cup match between Japan and Pakistan, which the latter lost, along with the chance to qualify for the Olympics.
Junaid, who was coach and manager, astonishingly, sent 12 players on the field at one time, which led to a crucial goal being disallowed by the umpires.
But despite the blunder and the ban that followed it, Junaid will be in charge of the qualifying tournament in Ismailia, Egypt, from March 1 to 7, which offers a last chance for Pakistan to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Pakistan is among eight nations in the qualifier battling for three World Cup spots. Nine teams have already qualified for the marquee event.
The two finalists and the bronze medal winner in Ismailia will seal World Cup spots.
Pakistan have been pooled with Austria, Malaysia and China, while the other group has England, Egypt, Japan and the USA.