A financial impasse that jeopardized Pakistan’s FIH Hockey Pro-League participation has been bridged, with players agreeing to play the second leg post-payment assurances. The near-two-week disruption, marked by camp abstentions, is over, as revealed in Thursday’s updates.
PHF Secretary Rana Mujahid engaged players in Islamabad, pledging $114 per day for Hobart duties, enabled by the Sports Board’s 250 million PKR grant. Prior complaints from the first leg prompted urgent payment orders.
To Telecom Asia Sport, one athlete shared, ‘We pushed relentlessly to salvage this, but PHF resisted until the board intervened. It’s demoralizing when your career hangs in balance.’ The pact targets the immediate tour, sidestepping older debts.
Fixtures loom large: Australia on February 10/13, Germany 11/14. Nations Cup runners-up spot filled the void left by New Zealand.
Debut leg disappointments—four straight losses to Netherlands and Argentina—contrast the team’s golden past. No Olympics since 2012 amplifies the stakes, positioning this accord as a potential turning point for revival.