Abu Dhabi: India has to play the role of a ‘big brother’ if Asian hockey is to be revived, according to Pakistan coach Shahnaz Shaikh.
“India and Pakistan must play against each other. Unless there is marketing for the event and money is generated, nothing will happen,” Shaikh told Gulf News here this week.
The cricket-dominated country has seen a revival of sorts for hockey, but not enough to duplicate the kind of financial impact the Indian cricket board has over other countries.
“One single country like India cannot take the entire load of the European countries,” Shaikh said. “This is why India has to take the role of the big brother and make sure that we two nations play against each other often,” added the coach, who is trying to get his team ready for the World League semi-finals in Belgium next month.
Last month, Hockey India offered financial support to the Pakistan Hockey Federation after their four-nation tour to Hobart, Australia, was jeopardised due to a cash crunch. However, it evoked strong reactions from Pakistan cabinet ministers and former players.
“Such things would have never materialised given how things work in both countries, but a bilateral tournament is enough to make a huge difference. India and Pakistan playing a tournament would be a smash hit and a full house is guaranteed,” said Shaikh, while admitting that Pakistan haven’t played as many tournaments as they would have liked in the last two years, and that was a major worry.
Pakistan goalkeeper Imran Butt feels a neutral venue like the UAE would be the ideal place to have an Indo-Pak hockey series.
“The India-Pakistan cricket series has also been sanctioned and there is no better place than the UAE to do it, with plenty of expatriates from India and Pakistan. It would be a full house and, if a similar hockey tournament is arranged, it would be a huge boost,” said Butt, one of the senior members of the team.
“The UAE has the sporting infrastructure and there are plenty of local hockey clubs here, although an [artificial] turf is long overdue. Hopefully they can look into it at the earliest as this would serve their sporting aspirations.”
Pakistan’s ace forward Mohammad Irfan, the only player to play in England for Olton Hockey Club, feels they could have honed their skills in the Indian Hockey League, but being barred was a blow.
“The Indian Hockey League was a boost for Asian Hockey but we have been kept out of it and that has not at all helped. It is unfortunate or else that would have done a great deal in reviving things. Getting the people and sponsors towards the sport is becoming difficult and that’s a worrying sign,” said Irfan, who was Pakistan’s leading scorer in the Hobart tournament.
