PCB Chairman Naqvi meets national hockey players after World Cup qualification

LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday met national hockey players, including captain Ammad Butt, here after they secured a drought-ending FIH Hockey World Cup qualification.

During the meeting, Naqvi congratulated the national players for leading Pakistan into the Hockey World Cup after an eight-year hiatus and lauded their spirited performance in the recently concluded qualifiers, where they finished as runners-up.

As part of his continued support towards the national sport, the PCB Chairman announced employment opportunities for jobless athletes and vowed to provide medical assistance to those injured.

"PCB will provide treatment for injured hockey players. Hockey players will be fully supported in terms of fitness and medical care," Naqvi said.

"PCB will continue to cooperate with hockey players as before. Our cooperation will always be involved in providing you with maximum convenience," he told national hockey players.

Naqvi then went on to wish the Pakistan hockey team good luck for the World Cup, while the national players, in response, thanked him for his continued cooperation.

The meeting came after four-time champions Pakistan, who last featured in the mega event in the 2018 edition, sealed their drought-ending qualification with a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Japan in the ongoing FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers at the Suez Canal Authority (SCA) Hockey Stadium in Ismailia earlier this month.

For the unversed, Naqvi, who is also the Federal Interior Minister, has been significantly involved in assisting the national sport, which was hit by turmoil following the Green Shirts' tour of Australia for the FIH Pro League, during which they were hit by an accommodation crisis.

The situation escalated when national team captain Ammad Butt publicly criticised the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) over the mishandling of the tour arrangements, and the matter consequently drew the attention of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who took notice of the issue and ordered an inquiry.

Subsequently, then PHF president, Tariq Bugti, stepped down from his position, while Ammad Butt was handed a two-year ban by the federation.

Following the administrative upheaval, Mohiuddin Wani was appointed as interim president to oversee the federation's affairs and revoked the ban on skipper Ammad.

Later that day, Naqvi met national hockey players here and assured them of support until the end of the turmoil.

During the meeting, Naqvi also distributed cheques of Rs1 million each to players after their runner-up finish in the recent national hockey tournament, fulfilling an earlier announcement.

He also instructed that injured players be provided immediate medical treatment under PCB supervision and urged the players to stay focused on the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers.