FIH Rankings: Pakistan rise after Paris Olympics Qualifiers
The Green Shirts are now in 15th place
Pakistan men’s hockey team improved their rankings after participation in the Paris Olympics Qualifiers in Muscat, Oman, recently.
The Green Shirts have jumped one place to 15th in the latest rankings issued by FIH.
The Netherlands are in first place, followed by Belgium and India. Germany are in fourth place, meanwhile England and Australia are in fifth and sixth position respectively.
It must be noted that Pakistan hockey captain Ammad Butt revealed on Monday that the players are not being paid by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for the last six months.
The Men in Green fell short in securing a spot for the 2024 Paris Olympics, suffering a 3-2 defeat against New Zealand in the third/fourth place match of the qualifiers on Sunday.
In an Instagram post, Ammad thanked fans for their support and stressed the lack of facilities players need to face while pursuing the passion of playing the game.
"Thanks everyone for supporting Pakistan hockey unfortunately we couldn’t qualify for the Olympics and this is heartbreaking for me and my team and my nation as well," he wrote.
"I want to tell you one thing the boys have not been paid for the last six months. They played without facilities, without government support, without any sponsorship without any media coverage and no proper professional system," he added.
Ammad emphasised that they have been facing these problems for the last 10 years and questioned how long will they take it.
"The boys are giving their blood and sweat, they played with their heart for Pakistan but the way we are treated it’s totally unfair. Hockey is our national game so please treat us like a national heroes," he maintained.
Ammad concluded by requesting support since they are motivated to do well for the country in the future.
Remember, for the third consecutive time Pakistan have failed to qualify for the Olympics. Three-time Olympic gold medallists were unable to secure their spot in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 too.
Germany had thumped Pakistan 4-0 in the semi-final after they played a 3-3 draw against Malaysia to earn a crucial point to qualify for the final four.
Pakistan secured their first win in the competition by defeating China 2-0 after they had lost first match against Great Britain on Monday by 6-1.
From Pool matches, Pakistan finished second in Pool A, behind Great Britain (nine points). Pakistan had four points, China three and Malaysia finished with just one point.
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