Tariq Bugti, the head of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), resigned from his post following the hotel incident that occurred during the national team’s problematic trip to Australia earlier this month.
On Thursday, Bugti affirmed that he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the PHF’s patron-in-chief.
“I have sent my resignation letter to the PM but I urge him and Field Marshal Asim Munir to conduct an impartial inquiry into the whole incident which took place in Australia during the FIH Pro League,” PTI quoted Bugti as saying.
A video of Pakistani players standing on Sydney’s streets with their bags went viral on social media, sparking the outrage.
Shakeel Ammad Butt, Pakistan hockey captain, uploaded another video shortly after the first one went viral, saying that everything was good and that they had no issues throughout their stay.
However, a few days after returning home, Butt attacked the PHF at a press conference in Lahore and blamed the federation for the mishandling of the tumultuous tour, asserting in another video that the team had to “wash dishes before playing a match” in addition to having to wander the streets due to a lack of lodging. Additionally, he asserted that for the past year, nine players had not received their daily allowances from the PSB and PHF.
The players asked why they had to endure logistical setbacks in Australia, where the second phase of the FIH Pro League ended earlier this week, since the government had provided funding to the PHF for the team’s participation in all three phases.
Butt paid a heavy price for the criticism, though, as Bugti banned the captain for two years for his outburst, claiming that he damaged Pakistani hockey’s reputation.
With the PHF and the state-run Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) pointing fingers at one another for the disaster, Bugti’s resignation comes at a critical moment for Pakistan hockey.
According to Bugti, the PSB was in charge of all the planning for the Australia tour and was accountable for the catastrophe.
However, he declined to respond when questioned about a cheque for over a million rupees that the PSB had transferred to the PHF to pay for hotel charges.
The head coach of the Pakistani squad has also volunteered to step down, but he claims that some players, including captain Butt, lacked discipline and used foul language against teammates, which hurt the team’s performance in the FIH Pro League.
Pakistan is currently ranked last in the nine-team league after losing all eight of its games to date. After four months, Pakistan will travel to Egypt to compete in the World Cup qualifying tournament.
