No Salary, Medical Benefit In Pakistan Hockey For Six Months, Senior Players Clash With Management

The never ending ordeal of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) continued as the cash-strapped national body has not paid its employees for the last six months. According to details, all the employees of PHF at its headquarters in Lahore and sub-office in Karachi are still waiting to get their salaries for the last six months. Over 80 office and ground employees are said to be in dire straits as they have also not been getting any medical benefits for the last six months.

To make matters worse even the national senior players have neither been paid their contract salaries or allowances for the last 4-5 months for even participating in the recent Olympic qualifiers in Oman.

A source aware of the developments said that Pakistan captain, Imad Shakeel Butt and some other players also clashed with the team management during the qualifiers over the issue of non-payment of their daily dues.

"At one stage Butt even threatened not to play further matches until the dailies were cleared," the source said.

The nadir is that no one knows who is to blamed for this sorry situation in Pakistan hockey.

While the sacked former President Brig (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokar blamed his predecessors and also his successor for the financial crunch, the source said it is a fact that the government has not only stopped giving funds to the PHF, its accounts have been suspended because of an ongoing inquiry into financial misappropriation of funds by the federation.

"Presently the PHF is said to owe around 80 million rupees in dues to its employees, players, coaches and other clients," the source added.