The Pakistan men’s hockey team has travelled to Australia for the second leg of the FIH Pro League in Hobart. The team are currently struggling and will play big teams like Germany and hosts Australia in a tough few fixtures. However, after they landed in Australia to play in the tournament, they had to roam the streets for hours with their luggage. This was after the Pakistan Hockey Federation failed to clear the bills of the hotel that the team were supposed to stay in, which led to the bookings getting subsequently cancelled. This is because of apparent lack of funds by the board.
“Apparently the players and officials were booked in a four-star hotel in Canberra and were told that the Pakistan Sports Board and Pakistan Hockey Federation had made all upfront payments for their stay in Canberra,” a source close to the proceedings informed PTI.
“But when they reached Canberra last week, they found no bookings for them at the designated hotel. The team’s head coach, Tahir Zaman, faced problems getting in touch with PSB and PHF officials back home because of the time difference. Tahir messaged them about the awkward situation the players were facing and had no place to stay and rest after a long journey from Lahore,” the source added.
Lesser Number Of Rooms Accomodatated
The players reportedly stood outside the hotel for a number of hours, before the authorities of the property were finally convinced. However, lesser number of rooms were accomodated than what was initially planned. Hnece, two to three players occupied a single room.
“Because of unavailability of required rooms the players and officials were accommodated in a lesser number of rooms then they were told. As a result two-three players occupied one room and next day, they went straight to the ground to play their first match against Australia, which they lost 3-2,”
1. Why did the Pakistan hockey team face accommodation issues in Australia?
The Pakistan men’s hockey team reportedly faced accommodation problems because the Pakistan Hockey Federation allegedly failed to clear hotel payments in advance. As a result, their bookings were cancelled upon arrival.
2. Where had the team travelled for the tournament?
The team travelled to Australia for the second leg of the FIH Pro League, with matches scheduled in Hobart and Canberra.
3. What happened when the team reached Canberra?
Upon reaching Canberra, players and officials discovered that there were no confirmed hotel bookings under their name, despite being informed that full payments had been made by the Pakistan Sports Board and the Pakistan Hockey Federation.
4. Who highlighted the issue?
A source close to the matter informed PTI that the team’s head coach, Tahir Zaman, struggled to contact officials in Pakistan due to the time difference and immediately raised concerns about the team having no place to stay after a long journey from Lahore.
5. How long did the players have to wait?
Reports suggest that the players stood outside the hotel for several hours with their luggage before the matter was partially resolved.
6. Were proper arrangements eventually made?
Eventually, the hotel authorities accommodated the team, but with fewer rooms than initially promised. As a result, two to three players had to share a single room.
7. Did the incident affect the team’s performance?
The next day, the team reportedly went straight to the ground to play against hosts Australia men’s national field hockey team and lost the match 3–2. While no official statement directly linked the defeat to the accommodation issue, the situation likely added pressure ahead of crucial fixtures.
8. What challenges does the team face in the tournament?
Pakistan is scheduled to face strong teams including Germany men’s national field hockey team and Australia, making it a challenging leg of the tournament.
