NEW DELHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has backed the Pakistan hockey team after a major controversy during their tour of Australia. The trouble started when hockey players accused the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) of leaving them without proper support to play in the 2025-26 FIH Hockey Pro League.
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The players claimed that no hotel was booked for them in Australia, so they had to spend hours on the street. They also said they had to cook their own food and clean dishes while staying at the Airbnb. The situation caused outrage in Pakistan and raised serious questions about how the team was managed.Following the allegations, PHF President Tariq Bugti sent his resignation to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. However, he also suspended team captain Ammad Shakeel Butt for two years, which angered many players and fans.In the midst of this chaos, Mohsin Naqvi came to support the hockey players. Naqvi is the Interior Minister of Pakistan and also the Chairman of PCB. He said that Pakistan cricket will help the hockey team in every possible way.“We will accommodate hockey players in every possible way. We will extend complete cooperation to streamline hockey affairs,” Naqvi said.He also told the players to focus only on their game and not worry about driving issues. “You should focus only on the game. Pakistan’s honor comes first. Under no circumstances will we allow the country’s dignity to be compromised,” Naqvi said during the meeting.Naqvi later clarified on social media that he is not taking over the hockey federation but will help during this crisis. “I am not becoming the president of the hockey federation, but we will help the players until this confusion is over,” he wrote on X.According to reports, the PCB has also financially supported the hockey players. Each player of the national team is said to have received a million Pakistani rupees as an assist.Captain Ammad Shakeel Butt later said his suspension would be lifted. He also said that PCB will help organize a training camp in Lahore to prepare for the upcoming Hockey World Cup qualifiers.
