Pakistan men’s hockey team captain Bhutta Umar in action against China during the Asian Champions Trophy 2023 match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai. (PTI Photo) Pakistan Hockey Federation President Tariq Bugti has resigned following controversies over the accommodation of the Pakistan national team during its recent FIH Pro League tour of Australia.Bugti confirmed on Thursday that he had sent his resignation to PHF’s chief patron, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.“I have sent my resignation letter to the Prime Minister, but I request him and Field Marshal Asim Munir to conduct an impartial inquiry into the entire incident that took place in Australia during the FIH Pro League,” Bugti said, according to PTI.Field hockey is Pakistan’s national sport, although cricket remains more popular in the country. Having won three Olympic gold medals and four World Cups, Pakistan is currently ranked 14th in international hockey.The controversy started after a video of Pakistan players standing on the streets of Sydney with their luggage went viral on social media.Soon after the video went viral, Pakistan captain Shakeel Ammad Butt released another clip saying that everything was fine and there were no problems with the accommodation.However, after returning home, Butt criticized the PHF in a press conference in Lahore, accusing the federation of mismanagement during the tour. In another video, he said the team had to wander the streets due to lack of accommodation and also had to “wash the dishes before playing the match”.He also said that nine players have not received daily allowances from Pakistan Sports Council and PHF in the last one year.The players questioned why they faced logistical problems in Australia despite the government providing PHF with funding to participate in all three phases of the Pro League, the second phase of which ended earlier this week.Following Butt’s remarks, Bugti handed him a two-year ban, saying the captain had brought Pakistan hockey into disrepute.Bugti’s resignation comes as the PHF and the Pakistan Sports Council blame each other for the episode. Bugti said PSB had arranged the Australian tour and was responsible for what happened. He did not respond to a query about a check of more than a million rupees sent by PS PHF for hotel expenses.The head coach of the team also offered to resign. He said some players were very undisciplined, including Butt, who used abusive language against teammates and affected the team’s performance in the Pro League.Pakistan have lost all eight matches so far and are bottom among the nine teams in the competition. They have also failed to qualify for the last three Olympic Games and finished 12th in their last appearance at the 2018 Ice Hockey World Cup.In four months, Pakistan will travel to Egypt to compete in the final qualifying tournament for the next World Cup.
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