India refuses to play hockey with Pakistan

As Hockey India League (HIL) prepares for the 2016 season, the president of the country’s national federation, Narendra Batra, said the tournament would be off-limits for Pakistani players until the Greenshirts apologise for their misconduct in the 2014 Champions Trophy in Bhubaneswar.

Several Pakistani people danced in jubilation removed their tops, and raised obscene gestures towards the group after winning the sport 4-3 in a sporting expertise.

“I don’t understand the need for this statement now perhaps it is one way for Hockey India to find another excuse for not allowing our players to appear in the Hockey India League, which is a letdown for them”, he said adding that may be Batra and Co are still finding it difficult to digest their defeat in the Champions Trophy semi-final.

The former Olympian said all players from Asia are called in for the leagues but not Pakistan which is against the spirit of sports.

The captain of Pakistan hockey team Muhammad Imran denied his players had committed any act beyond ethical limits.

Hockey India League 2015 auction is scheduled for 17th September wherein 135 Indian and 141 Foreign Players will go under the hammer.

But Shahnaz, who was the coach of the Pakistan team when the incident took place, said it’s best to answer on the hockey pitch. The teams will also be able to make immediate replacements by selecting a player from the HIL Reserve List 2016. “The FIH took action on the matter then and there and Pakistan players were barred from the next match, the final, which we lost”, he said. Speaking about the internal hockey affairs, Sheikh said the Inter Provincial Coordination Ministry (IPC) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) should grant the deserved prize money to the players for performances in Champions Trophy and Asian Games. If we need to play against each other in international meets, that’s different.

“You will see many Indian coaches come up in the next three to four years. Young officials have adapted to the changes in the game and that is encouraging and I can see Indian coaches making a mark in the next few years”, he said.

“We have never had any egos as far as hiring foreign professionals are concerned”.

“We expressed our regrets and the PHF officials present there pulled up our players as well even though they had reacted to the boorish behaviour of a section of the crowd which kept on abusing them”, he made a counter-allegations. “I don’t know whether I am right or wrong in my assessment, but I believe our neighbours Pakistan are lagging behind on this count and have failed to catch-up with the changing ways in the game”, he added.