Pakistan’s former hockey players have called for an injection of fresh blood into the national team after another disappointing World Cup campaign, saying immediate improvement at next month’s Asian Games is crucial to restoring faith in the country’s once-glorious hockey tradition.
Pakistan, four-time World Cup champions, have now gone 32 years without lifting the trophy since their last triumph in 1994.
Asian Games Come First
Pakistan were eliminated from the title race at the ongoing World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium and will now play South Africa in the classification match for 11th place.
While the Pakistan Hockey Federation has announced plans to introduce a hockey league and promote the sport in schools and educational institutions, former players believe the national team’s immediate focus must be on the Asian Games in Japan.
Former Olympian Wasim Feroze said a strong showing against leading Asian teams could provide the spark needed to revive the sport.
“This hockey league and all is fine in the long run but right now Pakistan hockey needs an injection (of fresh blood) which will only come if we do well in the Asian Games against India, Malaysia, Japan, China, Korea and other sides,” he said.
Feroze warned that continued poor results could further discourage youngsters from taking up hockey.
“Everyone wants to play cricket and we are not getting enough talent from the grassroots level,” he added.
Cricket’s Shadow Grows
Former players also linked hockey’s decline to the overwhelming popularity of cricket in Pakistan.
With the national hockey team struggling to produce consistent results, cricket has increasingly become the dominant sporting attraction, making it harder for hockey to retain its traditional following.
Feroze believes winning matches is essential to changing that trend and attracting young players back to the sport.
European Gap Concerns Pakistan
Former international Ahmed Alam said the federation must examine why Pakistan have struggled against European and SENA teams comprising South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia.
“Even against Japan, we’ve struggled. You look at the FIH Pro League where we lost all our matches against the European and SENA teams, and it is obvious Pakistan hockey has fallen way behind other countries,” he said.
Pakistan recently finished ninth and last in the Pro League, highlighting the gap between the team and the world’s leading hockey nations.
Alam pointed to India as the only Asian team currently capable of consistently competing against Europe, Australia and New Zealand.
He attributed India’s competitiveness largely to a hockey system that continues to produce results and players capable of performing at the highest level.
Former Greats Blame Past Decisions
Former Pakistan hockey great Rasheed-ul-Hasan expressed disappointment at seeing both Pakistan and India, once dominant forces in world hockey, miss out on the World Cup semi-finals.
“It hurts to see this but we have only ourselves to blame for allowing the European nations in the FIH to change rules to their advantage and then exploiting the changed scenario with their aggressive and fast style of play,” he said.
For Pakistan, the Asian Games now represent an important opportunity to halt the decline.
A strong campaign in Japan could restore confidence, attract greater interest among young players and provide the foundation for the long-term reforms the country’s hockey fraternity believes are urgently needed.
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