News for 01 May 2009
Friday, 01 May 2009 08:13 | 
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All the news for Friday 01 May 2009
US Women Conclude Series in Argentina
The USA Field Hockey Women's National Team completed their five-game test series against Argentina Thursday at the Popeye Beisbol Club in Salta, Argentina. The USA drew with Argentina, 1-1, in the final game of the series.
USFHA media release
FIH looking for making hockey even more attractive
By Leandro Negre, FIH President
It is just a little more than five months since I have been elected as President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). During these five months a lot happened in hockey and the FIH. Together with the new Executive Board, we are looking into all methods of making hockey even more attractive, at international, continental, national, regional and local level. It is too early now to give details about all the plans, as before implementing them, I will discuss them in debt with the Executive Board and the respective Committees. But you can be sure that the new strategic directions will have excellent implications for hockey.
Like all other four continental federations, the Asian Hockey Federation plays a key role in the development of our sport. It is a pleasure for me to work with the Asian countries, especially with the FIH World Level Events
The FIH is satisfied with the progress of the FIH World Cup in New Delhi, India in March 2010. Like for all FIH World Level Events, the Executive Board and the professional staff in the office in Lausanne, Switzerland are monitoring the progress on a daily basis. If, for one reason or the other, the FIH cannot host the 2010 FIH World Cup in India, there is of course a Plan B which will be implemented.
This is nothing special, as this is the case for all our events. Everybody can remember the extremely difficult decision the FIH had to take to shift the 2007 Samsung Champions Trophy from Pakistan to Malaysia. The FIH certainly hopes that it would never have to make these difficult decisions again.
The FIH is always looking for improvement. But before changing a rule, the way of qualifying for the World Cup or the structure of our World Level Events, different important steps have to be made. There are 13 FIH Committees in which experts are discussing the different aspects of the FIH and hockey in general. These committees provide the Executive Board with proposals and give expert advice to the Executive Board in their respective area.
The Competitions Committee is for example responsible for all technical related items of FIH World Level Events, while the Bid Evaluation Committee deals with the allocation of the FIH tournaments. The Umpiring Committee is the responsible body for all umpiring matters.
It is a pleasure for me to be back in Malaysia soon and I am already looking forward to the FIH Junior World Cup in June when the Malaysian Hockey Confederation is hosting together with Singapore Hockey Federation the matches between the 20 best junior teams in the world.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Pakistan team for Asia Cup
The National Selection Committee of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced the 18 member team for 8th Asia Cup Hockey Tournament.
Chief Selector Hassan Sardar said six changes have been made in the team, four senior and two junior players replaced six other players. Pakistan team is participating in a prestigious tournament after a long time and the team had very short time for preparations, but we still have the hopes that the team will produce good results in the tournament. Our goal keeping section was too week in Azlan Shah Cup, but after come back of Salman Akbar the goal keeping section will also get strong.
Selected 18 players are Salman Akbar (Goal Keeper), Zeeshan Ashraf (Captain), Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran (Full Backs), Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad (Halves), Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali (Forwards). The team management is Muhammad Asif Bajwa (Manager), Shahid Ali Khan and Kamran Ashraf (Coach), Fair Ur Rehman (Physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (Video Analyst).
The training camp will continue till 3 May and the team will leave for Malaysia on 4 May. Pakistan will play warm up matches against Malaysia and Japan on 5 and 7 May respectively. The first match will be played against China on 9 May, the second match will be played against India on 10 May and last pool match will be played against Bangladesh on 12 May.
Pakistan Hockey Federation media release
Pakistan recall seniors for Asia Cup
Goalie Nasir dropped as Sohail, Waseem, Rehan and Salman return for the tough assignment
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: As expected, Pakistan on Thursday recalled a quartet of senior players to boost their hopes of winning the Asia Cup in Kuantan (Malaysia) and earn a direct spot for the 2010 World Cup.
National selectors retained seasoned defender Zeeshan Ashraf as Pakistan's captain and gave his under-performing team a shot in the arm by bringing back four experienced players including drag flick star Sohail Abbas for the seven-nation spectacle to be played from May 9-16.
Also back in the 18-man squad are former Pakistan captains Rehan Butt, Waseem Ahmed and goalie Salman Akbar.
The four players were previously blacklisted by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for skipping national duty to play professional hockey in Europe but have now been cleared for their international comeback.
There was no place in the squad for out-of-form goalie Nasir Ahmed, who has been replaced with Salman.
Nasir was awfully out of form in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup which is why the selectors decided against retaining him in the squad.
Salman, the country's most experienced goalie, is the only goalkeeper in the squad - a gamble that might backfire like it did in Ipoh.
In all, Pakistan have made six changes to the team that flopped miserably in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April in Ipoh (Malaysia) where it finished a disappointing fourth position in the five-nation contest.
Abdul Haseem Khan, Pakistan junior team's captain, and midfielder Muhammad Irfan have been inducted in the squad in a bid to give it a further boost.
Haseem is making his bones as a prolific striker while Irfan is seen as a solid midfielder, who can bolster Pakistan's feeble penalty corner defense because of his skills as a reliable 'dasher'.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan is pinning his hopes in the team but has warned against expecting too much from it.
"On paper, this side seems to be much better than the one that played in the Azlan Shah Cup," Shahid told 'The News' after the completion of the two-day trials at Lahore's National Stadium on Thursday evening.
"But it will all depend on how these players gel together in Kuantan. If this combination clicks, then we will certainly have good chances of winning the Asia Cup," he added.
Pakistan have not won the Asia Cup since their triumph in 1989 in New Delhi. Their recent track record also goes against them as they have not performed well against top title contenders like defending champions India, Korea and China in recent times.
Shahid, however, made it clear that his players will put aside all bad memories and will go all out for the title.
"We have to look ahead and try to go out there and win the Asia Cup," said the former Olympian. "It is our biggest assignment of the year and we want to take our best shot at it."
A title-winning triumph can earn Pakistan a direct spot for next year's World Cup in India. If they fail to do so, the four-time world champions will have to feature in the qualifying rounds this November.
Pakistan have bolstered their midfield by recalling Waseem, though the player is still not fully fit.
Waseem has missed most of the training sessions because of a hamstring problem but team officials are expecting him to be fully fit ahead of their make-or-break opener against China on May 9.
"The event's opening day will be the most important for us," he said. "If we beat China, we will almost certainly qualify for the semifinals."
Pakistan are drawn against China and holders India in Pool B. Bangladesh, which was initially the fourth team in their pool, have been shifted to Pool A after the withdrawal of Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will continue their homework in Lahore till May 3 before leaving for Malaysia. They will play a couple of warm-up games against hosts Malaysia (May 5) and Japan (May 7), before taking on China on the event's opening day under floodlights. On May 10, Pakistan feature in a mouthwatering clash against India.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Akbar (goalkeeper), Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran (defenders), Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad (midfielders), Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali (forwards).
Officials: Asif Bajwa (manager), Shahid Ali Khan (head coach), Kamran Ashraf (coach), Fair Ur Rehman (physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (video analyst).
The News International
Hockey Federation bent on rewarding indiscipline
By Shazad Ali
KARACHI: In a bid to regain lost glory, Pakistan hockey administrators have opted to promote indiscipline, welcoming back the duo of penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas and half-back Waseem Ahmad for the Asia Cup in Malaysia.
The PHF President Qasim Zia and Secretary Asif Bajwa have brought back the pair, although the two players seem to prefer playing in foreign leagues rather than representing their country.
Once indispensable for the national side, Sohail and Waseem’s rollercoaster careers are tainted with several cases of indiscipline. Sohail first came into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons for ditching Pakistan team, preferring instead to play in European leagues.
Both Sohail and Waseem opted to play in overseas leagues, skipping back-to-back four-nation tournaments in Australia six years ago. They tendered apologies and were included in the Champions Trophy squad after being slapped meager Rs100,000 fines by the then PHF president General Aziz Khan and secretary Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan.
They called it quits soon after 2004 Champions Trophy in Lahore, saying they wanted to allow youngsters to have a chance. Furious over their ‘retirements’ PHF ordered them time and again to report to national camps, but to no avail.
In a bid keep to their contracts with foreign clubs intact, the pair rejoined the squad in 2006 to represent Pakistan at the Madrid Champions Trophy and World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, only to leave Pakistan in the lurch once more.
They were banned in December 2006 by PHF president Zafarullah Jamali along with controversial centre-half Mohammad Saqlain, half-back Ghazanfar Ali and defender Dilawar Hussain, who all preferred to play in foreign leagues rather than reporting at the Doha Asian Games camp.
Jamali, however, back-tracked and reversed his decision, calling back all but Saqlain for national duty. Ghazanfar and Dilawar reported but Sohail and Waseem again stayed away from national camp.
At the domestic level, Sohail was sacked last May by his department SSGC for remaining absent without leave to play in a foreign league. Ironically, Sohail now says ‘Pakistan should come first for every player.’
But the question remains how the current Asia Cup squad could lift sagging fortunes of Pakistan hockey since there are quite a few new faces and Sohail and Waseem have never played with the present combination.
Apart from Sohail and Waseem, forward Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar are also back in the squad after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Rehan and Salman were also not available after the Beijing Games because of commitments with their foreign clubs.
PHF violated every rule and criteria it had made and known clear for the selection. First, Waseem has been selected, although he has hamstring injury and never attended the training camp. Likewise, forward Tariq Aziz is also believed to be suffering from hamstring problem.
To make matters worse, Salman has been included, although he also never attended the camp. According to coach Shahid Ali Khan, every player should be available three weeks before the event and be physically fit if he wants to be considered.
Interestingly, selectors have once again opted for one goalkeeper in Salman, dropping out-of-form Nasir Ahmad, while Zeeshan Ashraf has been retained as captain.
Little-known underachievers Zeeshan Ali and Sibtain Raza who were part of Azlan Shah Cup squad and were declared ‘promising players’ by Shahid, have now been discarded. The squad was selected after two-day trials in Lahore.
Asif, who was busy at a meeting, was not available for comments.
The Asia Cup, which also serves as qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup in India, rolls off in the Malaysian city of Kuantan on May 8. Pakistan face Asian Games silver medallists China in the first match on the opening day.
Squad:
Goalkeeper: Salman Akbar.
Full-backs: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Imran.
Half-backs: Hafiz Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad.
Forwards: Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali.
Dawn
Sohail Abbass, Wasim Ahmad, Rehan Butt, Salman Akbar recalled
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday included penalty corner expert Sohail Abbass and half-line player Wasim Ahmad, forward Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar in an 18-member squad named for the Asia Cup starting from May 5 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
All four former captains have been recalled with an aim to finish at top of the Asia Cup to qualify for the next year’s World Cup. Zeeshan Ashraf has been named as captain. The team will leave for Malaysia on May 4. The green shirts will play warm-up matches against Malaysia and Japan on 5 and 7 respectively. The first match will be played against China on 9, the second will be against India on 10 and the last pool match will be against Bangladesh on 12.
“The selected players are unanimous choice of the selection committee members who believe that return of the seniors will be an added advantage for the team in terms of improving its performance and to produce desired results in the Asia Cup,” chief selector Hassan Sardar told reporters yesterday after completion of two-day trials here at the National Stadium. PHF general secretary Mohammad Asif Bajwa and other selectors were also present on the occasion. Hassan said six changes had been made in the team: four senior and two junior players had replaced six others. “Pakistan are participating in a prestigious tournament after a long time, but we still have the hopes that the team will produce good results in the tournament.
Sohail and Wasim made a comeback after a gap of almost three years. They last played for Pakistan in the World Cup in 2006 while Rehan and Salman last played for Pakistan in Beijing Olympics 2008. The four were playing in European hockey league and decided to represent Pakistan again after the PHF put in a lot of efforts to convince them. “It is a very important tournament for us and we hope that the senior players will be at their best to motivate the team to success,” said Hassan. Winning the Asia Cup seems an uphill task in presence of archrivals India, China and Malaysia. Pakistan finished 7th in the last Asia Cup and the green shirts recently put up a dismal show in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by finishing 4th in the five-team competition.
Hassan said Pakistan’s goalkeeping section was too week in Azlan Shah Cup. “But after comeback of Salman the goal keeping section has become strong.” The selectors have also included forward Abdul Haseem Khan, the captain of the Pakistan junior team, and Mohammad Irfan, junior half-line player, in the senior team. “It is a best combination that has been picked up. We have tried to gel experience with youth,” maintained the chief selector. He said it was a sour reality that Pakistan team was going through a bad patch but the selectors were not disappointed as far as the future of the game was concerned.
Squad:
Goalkeeper: Salman Akbar. Full-backs: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Imran, Hafiz Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Saqlain, Farid Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Wasim Ahmad. Forwards: Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali. Officials: Mohammad Asif Bajwa (manager), Shahid Ali Khan and Kamran Ashraf (coach), Faizur Rehman (physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (video analyst).
The Daily Times
Abbas and Butt back in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hockey selectors recalled penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas on Thursday for next month's Asia Cup.
Former captain Rehan Butt, midfielder Waseem Ahmed and goalkeeper Salman Akbar were the other senior players returned to Pakistan's 18-man squad.
Abbas, with a world-record 274 goals, has been ignored for selection since the 2006 World Cup when Pakistan finished sixth in the 12-team competition. In the meantime, he has played in the Dutch league along with Ahmed.
All four senior players missed this month's Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia as Pakistan finished fourth among the five participating teams.
"With the return of senior players, it will surely give us an edge,'' Pakistan's celebrated forward Hasan Sardar, who is now the chief selector, said.
Sardar identified goalkeeping as one of the areas in which Pakistan needed improvement.
"We conceded lots of goals in Azlan Shah tournament and with the return of Salman (Akbar) I think we will show a much improved performance in the Asia Cup,'' Sardar said.
Pakistan is presently ranked sixth in Asia, and only victory in the Asia Cup will earn them an automatic berth for next year's World Cup.
Malaysia will host the 8th Asia Cup from May 9-16.
Squad: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan, Salman Akbar, Mohammad Saqlain, Sohail Abbas, Fareed Ahmed, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmed, Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool, Akhtar Ali.
The Times of India
FIH gives consent to Asian body
THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) has consented to the 8th Asia Cup being played in two groups, even though there are only seven participating teams.
This was revealed by Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) secretary general Tan Sri P. Alagendra yesterday.
"Normally when there are only seven teams, the format is one group. But the FIH has consented to two groups for the Asia Cup, which I believe is a first," said Alagendra, who attended the AirAsia title sponsorship signing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Group A has four teams, while Group B has three teams in the Asia Cup. The new fixtures were also released and will see Malaysia keep their opening match against South Korea, then play Bangladesh and wrap up the fixtures against Japan.
Oman were initially in Malaysia's group, but withdrew and were replaced by Sri Lanka, who also withdrew later, leaving AHF with no choice but to host a lopsided tournament.
The Asia Cup champions will receive a direct entry into the 2010 New Delhi World Cup.
"There are still a few more issues to be ironed out. India are the World Cup hosts, and if they win in Kuantan it is still not clear if the second placed team will receive the ticket to play.
"We will work it out soon with the FIH and make an announcement later," said Alagendra.
Meanwhile, the MHF also launched its website yesterday and the address is www.malaysianhockey.com.my.
Meanwhile MHF and AHF have agreed to give the Asia Cup rights to a website operator to stream matches live on a pay-per-view basis.
The website operator will not be paid for this venture, instead, it will share its earnings in the pay-per-view with MHF. The operator, at www.hockey-asia.com, also receives the rights of hockey matches held under the MHF banner like the Azlan Shah Cup and the Malaysia Hockey League.
New Straits Times
AirAsia flies in with RM500,000
By Jugjet Singh
AIRASIA became the title sponsors for the 8th Asia Cup in Kuantan with a cash sponsorship of RM500,000 yesterday.
The Asia Cup will be held on May 9-16, with Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh in Group A, while Pakistan, India and China are in Group B.
Present at the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday were Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.
"I became interested in hockey after watching the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup as an 11-year-old. I believe the partnership between MHF and AirAsia will be a fruitful and lasting one, and together we will work to bring back Malaysia to the '75 level," said Tony.
The cost to host the Asia Cup is around RM1.3 million, and the MHF has a few more sponsors lined-up to ease its burden.
"I was impressed with the way Malaysia played in the Azlan Shah Cup. And I believe the national team have the potential, but are missing something, which I can't pinpoint, which is holding them back.
"When AirAsia started, nobody believed that we would reach the level we are today. The hockey team are in the same boat as we were, and I believe one day, they will be the most successful team sport in Malaysia again," said Tony.
Internationally, AirAsia has been associated with Manchester United and Williams in Formula One. And on the local front, it has sponsored football, squash and now hockey.
"I would like to thank Tony for this generous gesture, and hope this is a long-term commitment to improve Malaysia's ranking. As I have said before, I want to see Malaysia in the top-ten bracket soon, and only then would I seek another term in MHF," said Tengku Abdullah.
Tengku Abdullah said success on the field will make it easier to attract sponsors.
"We need about RM3 million a year to train the various age-groups, run MHF and the various tournaments. So, if the team are successful on the pitch, I believe sponsors would readily want to be associated with the sport."
At the end of the function, a cake was wheeled in as Tony turned 45 yesterday.
Reebok was also present to sign an MoU which will see the national juniors and seniors wearing its attire in the Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup.
The Reebok jersey is yellow and blue, with the Jalur Gemilang prominently displayed at the front.
New Straits Times
AirAsia chip in RM500,000 for Asia Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) have received a RM500,000 sponsorship from AirAsia for the Asia Cup tournament in Kuantan from May 9-16.
MHF president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahamd Shah, who said the Asia Cup will cost about RM1.3mil to host, thanked AirAsia for their support.
“We have a few more sponsors lined up to help ease our burden,” he said after the signing ceremony with AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes yesterday.
“I would like to thank Tony for this generous gesture and hope this long-term commitment will help improve Malaysia’s rankings in the world from the current 15th.
“I want to see Malaysia in the top-ten bracket soon. Only then will I seek another term in MHF.”
Tengku Abdullah said it would be easier to attract sponsors if the national team were more successful on the field.
“We need about RM3mil a year to train the various age-groups and run all our tournaments,” he said.
Fernandes, meanwhile, said he got hooked on hockey after watching the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur as an 11-year-old.
“I believe the partnership between MHF and AirAsia will be a fruitful and lasting one,” said Tony, who turned 45 yesterday.
At the same function, Reebok also signed a memorandum of understandings (MoU) with the MHF to sponsor the attire for the seniors and the National Juniors in the Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup (June).
Seven teams will compete in the Asia Cup following Sri Lanka’s withdrawal on Tuesday. Malaysia are in Group A with South Korea, Japan and Bangladesh. Group B comprises defending hampions India, Pakistan and China.
The Star of Malaysia
Day Four Men’s U21 IPT
Southern Gauteng knocked defending champions Western Province out of semi final contention last night with a nail biting 3 – 2 victory. This means that the battle for second spot in Pool A will be decided today in the match between Southerns and KZN Coastals. Northern Gauteng are likely to take top spot in the pool needing a draw or win against bottom of the log Northern Cape.
Pool B has also come down to the wire with four teams in contention for a semi final berth. The SA U19 team need a win or draw against Eastern Province to take top spot. However, if EP beat the Juniors then they will take the top spot. Should EP slip up and lose to the Juniors, then Free State and KZN Inland have a chance of making the semi finals ahead of EP based on the result of their match.
Some interesting, intense hockey is on the cards for today.
Results from the day:
Pool A
KZN Coastals 13 – Northern Cape 0
Northern Gauteng 4 – Border 1
Southern Gauteng 3 – Western Province 2
Pool B
Eastern Province 4 - Free State 2
SA U19 1 – Peninsula 1
KZN Inland 6 – North West 0
SA Hockey Association media release
All eyes on penalty corners
PENALTY corners could decide which sports school win the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) under-19 overall title on Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) have Dangerous Lee, while Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) boast of Amir Farid. Both of them have scored 13 goals.
The top-scorer at present on 14 goals is K. Satesh of Division Three club Nur Insafi but he could be toppled by either of the sports school flickers.
"It was good that the final has been postponed from Wednesday to Sunday, as we will have more time to practise set-pieces and penalty corner flicks.
"My defenders must not give away unnecessary penalty corners, because BPSS have a good conversion rate. We will be looking for penalty corners when we enter the semi-circle, as we have a good flicker as well," said BJSS coach S. Prakash.
SUNDAY: Final-- Bukit Jalil Sports School v Bandar Penawar Sports School (National Stadium Pitch II, 5pm); Third-Fourth: Tenaga Nasional v Petaling Jaya City Council (National Stadium Pitch II, 3pm).
New Straits Times
BPSS motivated for final
By AFTAR SINGH
KUALA LUMPUR: First-time finalists Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) have sent their players for motivational talks in a bid to boost their mental strength ahead of the showdown against Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) this weekend.
The two sports schools will clash for the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Under-19 overall title at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday.
BPSS coach Wan Roslan Wan Abdul Rahman hoped that the talks would help his players, who have never played in a final before, to be mentally ready to take on four-time overall champions BJSS.
“The players had two sessions, which were conducted by the National Sports Institute (NSI), on Tuesday and Thursday,” said Wan Roslan, who has been coaching BPSS since 2002.
“The NSI also held a motivational talk for my players last month and it helped spur them to finish second in Division Two.
“With better mental strength and a higher level of fitness, I hope my boys will rise to the occasion and win our first overall title. I expect the final to be really interesting and explosive.”
Wan Roslan said although his team were the underdogs, they would not settle for second best on Sunday.
“The pressure will be on BJSS as they are the favourites,” said Wan Roslan, who expects the final, postponed from Wednesday, to attract a bigger crowd.
He added that many parents would travel to Kuala Lumpur to watch their children play in final.
“This will definitely will inspire my boys to give their best on Sunday.”
The Star of Malaysia
Canada announces World Cup Squad selection camp
Following last month's successful campaign to win the Pan American Cup in Santiago and direct qualification to the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi, the Canadian Men's Team is formally initiating it's World Cup preparation. Head Coach Alan Brahmst announced that the first project for the Champions of the Americas is a 4 day National Selection Camp scheduled for June 4-7th in Vancouver. Field Hockey Canada's objective for this camp is to identify the World Cup squad of 28-30 athletes, who will form the core group of players participating in the preparation projects over the next 10 months.
"The camp will be comprehensive with 15 hours of on-field activities and will include fitness testing and a technical capabilities evaluation. Tactical assessments will be performed as part of numerous inter-squad matches", said Brahmst and then added, "for Canada, as we move toward two significant competitions in 2010, the World Cup & the Commonwealth Games, we are looking to now design a younger squad, which will form the longer-term core of our National Team as we move toward London 2012 and then into the next Olympic cycle. Although performance in the short term is a top priority, we are looking for the right balance to sustain our success and continue our climb in world rankings beyond 2010."
The squad will be announced on June 9th before the athletes join the provincial team training phase, which concludes with the National Championships in Calgary from July 20-26th.
Field Hockey Canada media release
More exposure tours for women’s hockey team
Manuja Veerappa
Bengaluru, April 30: The 2010 Commonwealth Games. That is the single-minded focus for most sporting events in the country right now.
The Indian Women Hockey Federation is no different and is channeling all its resources into putting up a good show at the Delhi Games next year.
IWHF secretary Amrit Bose, who is in the city to oversee the selection trials which begin on Friday, said, "We are trying out various combination of senior and junior players in exposure tours so that we are well prepared for the Games. Off the 48 in the camp, we will pick 30 players for the core training group."
Apart from the U-21 Hockey World Cup in August and a four-nation tournament in June, the team will also travel to Canada and Germany on exposure tours.
"We want to try and get the girls to play abroad as much as possible. We need to play with the best teams to produce results," said Bose.
In a couple of months from now, the IWHF will merge with the IHF in accordance with the International Hockey Federation’s guidelines. The confederation will then be known as Hockey India.
On the role of the women’s wing in Hockey India, Bose said, "It will be a properly formed unit and there will be no room for discrimination. We will work as a single unit. It will have a positive effect on women’s hockey. In fact, in a week’s time, we will launch a women’s hockey website, which will be linked to the Hockey India website when it is launched."
Despite their best efforts, there hasn’t been an explosion of talent on the national circuit.
Blaming the administrative set-up in the country, Bose said, "The number of tournaments at the grassroot level has dwindled. The state governments, especially the education departments, have to take up the initiative to promote the sport."
Bose also called upon the national players to be more responsible.
"In the European countries, players are more responsible and they stick to the regime given to them even when they are not in camps. This is not the case with Indian players.
"Although we give each player a workout schedule they have to follow when they are not in camps, they hardly follow it. For the team to do well, each player has to take responsibility for their fitness and performance," she said.
The Asian Age
Carmel 5-a-Side Rink Hockey Starts Today in Mumbai
by K. Arumugam
May 1 2009: The third Carmel 5-a-side Rink Hockey tournament starts today at Bandra in Mumbai. Mp> The event is organized for 6 categories including for boys under 12, boys under 14, school girls, women, private clubs and the super league and national teams. In all, 40 teams will take part, 54 matches will be played, the event will run for a week.
The hockey loving public of Bandra -- this locality in Mumbai produced lot many hockey players and has a hockey tradition -- thus gets to enjoy hockey at the grassroot levels, women's hockey. Further, they will also have glimpse of former players of the country. A galaxy of former and present players are expected to grace the event regularly, most of them will also be coaching the participants in the run up to the tournaments.
Most of the matches will be played under floodlights.
"The matches will be exciting and entertaining for the crowds. Because the action is fast and furious, short duration of games (10 minutes each half for the school teams and 15 minutes each half for the senior teams)" says Viren Rasquinha, prime mover behind the event.
Arjuna Award winner Viren Rasquinha has recently completed his MBA course from the prestigious Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
This year marks the 3rd edition of the annual tournament.
There will also be 4-day coaching camp for around 70-80 kids. Well known hockey stars like Dhanraj Pillay, Edgar Mascarenhas Sr., Edgar Mascarenhas Jr. (goalkeeper), Anil Aldrin, Devinder Kumar (all Air India) and Devesh Chauhan, Jaswinder Singh, Kamlesh Kumar (all Indian Oil)will be coaching these kids, besides Viren himself.
Stick2Hockey.com
Most successful hockey nation has only two turfs
KARACHI: Having a glorious record in the world of hockey, ironically Pakistan have only two proper synthetic turfs available for the players who opt for the national game that has all but lost its past glory.
To date, Pakistan has been the most successful team in the World Cup, with four titles and six appearances in the final. The Netherlands have also been successful, with three titles and five appearances in the final. But the difference between the two great hockey nations is that Netherlands has more than 400 synthetic turfs whereas Astroturf in Pakistan could be counted on the fingers with only two meeting the international standards.
Pakistan has gone down to Number 8 in the world circuit with its infrastructure totally out of order. "We have Astroturf here in Steel Town hockey stadium but it has expired and we are working to have a new one," Rashid Mohammad Sports In charge Pakistan Steel told PPI.
Rashid is also a Grade-I hockey umpire of International Hockey Federation (FIH) and manager umpire of Pakistan Hockey Federation. He added that the Astroturf in UBL Sports Complex has also expired and they are also thinking of replacing it with a new one.
"At the Defense Stadium, children play cricket on the turf," he said. "The only proper Astroturf in Karachi is at Hockey Club of Pakistan. And the Astroturf in National Hockey Stadium in Lahore also meets the international standards. Other than these two there is no proper Astroturf in Pakistan," Rashid added.
A PHF official told PPI that Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Bannu, Gojra, Hyderabad, Sialkot and Faisalabad have one synthetic turf each.
"The Astroturf in Bannu was laid with out a proper base and when players play the red soil comes to the surface making it slippery for the players," Rashid said. "While the water is not available for the turf in Abbottabad. They manually water it and by the time they reach the other end the first end dry out," he added.
He further said that Quetta will soon be having another Astroturf at the General Moosa Stadium. "But turf laid in Quetta is in between the race course there, and the dust covers the synthetic turf with every race" Rashid said.
He further said that Habib Public School was also working to install a Astroturf at its hockey ground. "Habib Public School and another school in Gojra produced most of the prominent hockey players for Pakistan hockey. The Habib Public School was making efforts to install an Astroturf at its hockey ground but due to some problem they have delayed their plan. Hopefully they will soon have an Astroturf," Rashid said.
He commended the efforts of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) for installing Astroturf at Olympian Iftikhar Syed Sports Academy (OISSA).
"But I would like to advice them not to pay the complete amount to the company they have hired for the purpose. If they have given a 10-year-guarantee, then they must pay the amount in installments so that one could stop the payment if the turf dilapidates," Rashid said.
The News International
Marathon man
Dilip Tirkey, the most-capped hockey player in the world, talks to V. V. Subrahmanyam about the highs and lows of his career.
Two years ago, while going through Sportstar, Dilip Tirkey took note of a statistic by the hockey statistician, B. G. Joshi, which referred to him as the most-capped player (360 matches) from India in international hockey. That was when he touched his heart and decided to create history by becoming the most-capped player in the world.
Dilip Tirkey, 31, who is often referred to as the ‘Wall of Indian hockey’, achieved his goal during the recent Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy in Ipoh (Malaysia), where India, led by Sandeep Singh, emerged victorious.
For someone who had seriously thought of quitting the sport in the wake of the all-round condemnation following India’s failure to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the most-capped player in the world was a great achievement indeed. Tirkey had to not only overcome the mental trauma associated with India’s debacle in the Olympic qualifiers but also an ankle injury that put him out of action for five months.
“Those were horrible days when everything seemed hopeless. The widespread criticism really hurt us. Personally too I felt terribly down after the failure to qualify for the Olympics. Then, the ankle injury.
“I was just not able to even walk, leave alone run. It was really frustrating and very difficult to be in the right frame of mind. But thanks to my friends and well-wishers, who kept reminding me of my long career saying that the sport doesn’t quite often see someone of such longevity, they ensured that I stayed focussed,” Tirkey said in a chat with Sportstar.
“That was the phase when the athletics coach, Arun Das, and trainer Mukti Prasad really worked hard with me,” he said.
When he became the most capped hockey player in the world (408 matches now) — Jeroen Delmee of the Netherlands held the record with 401 caps — Tirkey’s joy knew no bounds. “It is a great feeling. It is always nice to be with the Indian team. Obviously this record means a lot to me in particular and to Indian hockey in general. And, when we won the Azlan Shah Trophy, it was more special. It was a double delight,” Tirkey explained.
The affable defender, who thwarted the best of forwards with his impeccable and gritty displays, said that he was always confident of making a comeback to the Indian team after being out due to injury.
“The sheer love for the sport made me believe that I should be there in the Indian team,” said Tirkey who admires former India captain Pargat Singh and Dutch penalty-corner specialist Floris Bovelander.
For inspiration he also looks to Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes and Baichung Bhutia for the way they have sustained their level of excellence for such a long time at the highest level. “Their commitment and passion for the sport are two big characteristics that I try to imbibe,” Tirkey said.
Tirkey doesn’t seem to be bothered about who is in charge of the Indian team. “For me, once selected, the first objective is to give more than 100 per cent. Team’s interests are of primary concern. I have never chased any personal goals,” he said.
Talking of India’s triumph in Ipoh, Tirkey said: “Sandeep is young and led admirably in the Azlan Shah Trophy. The best part of our victory was that we started scoring more field goals and played real attacking hockey. This is great news for us. Everyone chipped in and thoroughly enjoyed the whole event.
“I do believe that the Azlan Shah victory would give us a lot of confidence. We badly needed this and it came in a very emphatic manner in the final,” he added.
Is Tirkey still chasing any dream?
“The fact that I haven’t won an Olympic or World Cup medal still haunts me. But right now, I am focussing on playing in the Asia Cup, then the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup (both to be held in Delhi),” he said.
Sportstar
US Women Conclude Series in Argentina
The USA Field Hockey Women's National Team completed their five-game test series against Argentina Thursday at the Popeye Beisbol Club in Salta, Argentina. The USA drew with Argentina, 1-1, in the final game of the series.
USFHA media release
FIH looking for making hockey even more attractive
By Leandro Negre, FIH President
It is just a little more than five months since I have been elected as President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH). During these five months a lot happened in hockey and the FIH. Together with the new Executive Board, we are looking into all methods of making hockey even more attractive, at international, continental, national, regional and local level. It is too early now to give details about all the plans, as before implementing them, I will discuss them in debt with the Executive Board and the respective Committees. But you can be sure that the new strategic directions will have excellent implications for hockey.
Like all other four continental federations, the Asian Hockey Federation plays a key role in the development of our sport. It is a pleasure for me to work with the Asian countries, especially with the FIH World Level Events
The FIH is satisfied with the progress of the FIH World Cup in New Delhi, India in March 2010. Like for all FIH World Level Events, the Executive Board and the professional staff in the office in Lausanne, Switzerland are monitoring the progress on a daily basis. If, for one reason or the other, the FIH cannot host the 2010 FIH World Cup in India, there is of course a Plan B which will be implemented.
This is nothing special, as this is the case for all our events. Everybody can remember the extremely difficult decision the FIH had to take to shift the 2007 Samsung Champions Trophy from Pakistan to Malaysia. The FIH certainly hopes that it would never have to make these difficult decisions again.
The FIH is always looking for improvement. But before changing a rule, the way of qualifying for the World Cup or the structure of our World Level Events, different important steps have to be made. There are 13 FIH Committees in which experts are discussing the different aspects of the FIH and hockey in general. These committees provide the Executive Board with proposals and give expert advice to the Executive Board in their respective area.
The Competitions Committee is for example responsible for all technical related items of FIH World Level Events, while the Bid Evaluation Committee deals with the allocation of the FIH tournaments. The Umpiring Committee is the responsible body for all umpiring matters.
It is a pleasure for me to be back in Malaysia soon and I am already looking forward to the FIH Junior World Cup in June when the Malaysian Hockey Confederation is hosting together with Singapore Hockey Federation the matches between the 20 best junior teams in the world.
Jugjet's World of Field Hockey
Pakistan team for Asia Cup
The National Selection Committee of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced the 18 member team for 8th Asia Cup Hockey Tournament.
Chief Selector Hassan Sardar said six changes have been made in the team, four senior and two junior players replaced six other players. Pakistan team is participating in a prestigious tournament after a long time and the team had very short time for preparations, but we still have the hopes that the team will produce good results in the tournament. Our goal keeping section was too week in Azlan Shah Cup, but after come back of Salman Akbar the goal keeping section will also get strong.
Selected 18 players are Salman Akbar (Goal Keeper), Zeeshan Ashraf (Captain), Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran (Full Backs), Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad (Halves), Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali (Forwards). The team management is Muhammad Asif Bajwa (Manager), Shahid Ali Khan and Kamran Ashraf (Coach), Fair Ur Rehman (Physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (Video Analyst).
The training camp will continue till 3 May and the team will leave for Malaysia on 4 May. Pakistan will play warm up matches against Malaysia and Japan on 5 and 7 May respectively. The first match will be played against China on 9 May, the second match will be played against India on 10 May and last pool match will be played against Bangladesh on 12 May.
Pakistan Hockey Federation media release
Pakistan recall seniors for Asia Cup
Goalie Nasir dropped as Sohail, Waseem, Rehan and Salman return for the tough assignment
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: As expected, Pakistan on Thursday recalled a quartet of senior players to boost their hopes of winning the Asia Cup in Kuantan (Malaysia) and earn a direct spot for the 2010 World Cup.
National selectors retained seasoned defender Zeeshan Ashraf as Pakistan's captain and gave his under-performing team a shot in the arm by bringing back four experienced players including drag flick star Sohail Abbas for the seven-nation spectacle to be played from May 9-16.
Also back in the 18-man squad are former Pakistan captains Rehan Butt, Waseem Ahmed and goalie Salman Akbar.
The four players were previously blacklisted by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) for skipping national duty to play professional hockey in Europe but have now been cleared for their international comeback.
There was no place in the squad for out-of-form goalie Nasir Ahmed, who has been replaced with Salman.
Nasir was awfully out of form in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup which is why the selectors decided against retaining him in the squad.
Salman, the country's most experienced goalie, is the only goalkeeper in the squad - a gamble that might backfire like it did in Ipoh.
In all, Pakistan have made six changes to the team that flopped miserably in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in April in Ipoh (Malaysia) where it finished a disappointing fourth position in the five-nation contest.
Abdul Haseem Khan, Pakistan junior team's captain, and midfielder Muhammad Irfan have been inducted in the squad in a bid to give it a further boost.
Haseem is making his bones as a prolific striker while Irfan is seen as a solid midfielder, who can bolster Pakistan's feeble penalty corner defense because of his skills as a reliable 'dasher'.
Pakistan coach Shahid Ali Khan is pinning his hopes in the team but has warned against expecting too much from it.
"On paper, this side seems to be much better than the one that played in the Azlan Shah Cup," Shahid told 'The News' after the completion of the two-day trials at Lahore's National Stadium on Thursday evening.
"But it will all depend on how these players gel together in Kuantan. If this combination clicks, then we will certainly have good chances of winning the Asia Cup," he added.
Pakistan have not won the Asia Cup since their triumph in 1989 in New Delhi. Their recent track record also goes against them as they have not performed well against top title contenders like defending champions India, Korea and China in recent times.
Shahid, however, made it clear that his players will put aside all bad memories and will go all out for the title.
"We have to look ahead and try to go out there and win the Asia Cup," said the former Olympian. "It is our biggest assignment of the year and we want to take our best shot at it."
A title-winning triumph can earn Pakistan a direct spot for next year's World Cup in India. If they fail to do so, the four-time world champions will have to feature in the qualifying rounds this November.
Pakistan have bolstered their midfield by recalling Waseem, though the player is still not fully fit.
Waseem has missed most of the training sessions because of a hamstring problem but team officials are expecting him to be fully fit ahead of their make-or-break opener against China on May 9.
"The event's opening day will be the most important for us," he said. "If we beat China, we will almost certainly qualify for the semifinals."
Pakistan are drawn against China and holders India in Pool B. Bangladesh, which was initially the fourth team in their pool, have been shifted to Pool A after the withdrawal of Sri Lanka.
Pakistan will continue their homework in Lahore till May 3 before leaving for Malaysia. They will play a couple of warm-up games against hosts Malaysia (May 5) and Japan (May 7), before taking on China on the event's opening day under floodlights. On May 10, Pakistan feature in a mouthwatering clash against India.
Pakistan squad:
Salman Akbar (goalkeeper), Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Muhammad Imran (defenders), Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad (midfielders), Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali (forwards).
Officials: Asif Bajwa (manager), Shahid Ali Khan (head coach), Kamran Ashraf (coach), Fair Ur Rehman (physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (video analyst).
The News International
Hockey Federation bent on rewarding indiscipline
By Shazad Ali
KARACHI: In a bid to regain lost glory, Pakistan hockey administrators have opted to promote indiscipline, welcoming back the duo of penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas and half-back Waseem Ahmad for the Asia Cup in Malaysia.
The PHF President Qasim Zia and Secretary Asif Bajwa have brought back the pair, although the two players seem to prefer playing in foreign leagues rather than representing their country.
Once indispensable for the national side, Sohail and Waseem’s rollercoaster careers are tainted with several cases of indiscipline. Sohail first came into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons for ditching Pakistan team, preferring instead to play in European leagues.
Both Sohail and Waseem opted to play in overseas leagues, skipping back-to-back four-nation tournaments in Australia six years ago. They tendered apologies and were included in the Champions Trophy squad after being slapped meager Rs100,000 fines by the then PHF president General Aziz Khan and secretary Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan.
They called it quits soon after 2004 Champions Trophy in Lahore, saying they wanted to allow youngsters to have a chance. Furious over their ‘retirements’ PHF ordered them time and again to report to national camps, but to no avail.
In a bid keep to their contracts with foreign clubs intact, the pair rejoined the squad in 2006 to represent Pakistan at the Madrid Champions Trophy and World Cup in Monchengladbach, Germany, only to leave Pakistan in the lurch once more.
They were banned in December 2006 by PHF president Zafarullah Jamali along with controversial centre-half Mohammad Saqlain, half-back Ghazanfar Ali and defender Dilawar Hussain, who all preferred to play in foreign leagues rather than reporting at the Doha Asian Games camp.
Jamali, however, back-tracked and reversed his decision, calling back all but Saqlain for national duty. Ghazanfar and Dilawar reported but Sohail and Waseem again stayed away from national camp.
At the domestic level, Sohail was sacked last May by his department SSGC for remaining absent without leave to play in a foreign league. Ironically, Sohail now says ‘Pakistan should come first for every player.’
But the question remains how the current Asia Cup squad could lift sagging fortunes of Pakistan hockey since there are quite a few new faces and Sohail and Waseem have never played with the present combination.
Apart from Sohail and Waseem, forward Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar are also back in the squad after the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Rehan and Salman were also not available after the Beijing Games because of commitments with their foreign clubs.
PHF violated every rule and criteria it had made and known clear for the selection. First, Waseem has been selected, although he has hamstring injury and never attended the training camp. Likewise, forward Tariq Aziz is also believed to be suffering from hamstring problem.
To make matters worse, Salman has been included, although he also never attended the camp. According to coach Shahid Ali Khan, every player should be available three weeks before the event and be physically fit if he wants to be considered.
Interestingly, selectors have once again opted for one goalkeeper in Salman, dropping out-of-form Nasir Ahmad, while Zeeshan Ashraf has been retained as captain.
Little-known underachievers Zeeshan Ali and Sibtain Raza who were part of Azlan Shah Cup squad and were declared ‘promising players’ by Shahid, have now been discarded. The squad was selected after two-day trials in Lahore.
Asif, who was busy at a meeting, was not available for comments.
The Asia Cup, which also serves as qualifying round for the 2010 World Cup in India, rolls off in the Malaysian city of Kuantan on May 8. Pakistan face Asian Games silver medallists China in the first match on the opening day.
Squad:
Goalkeeper: Salman Akbar.
Full-backs: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Imran.
Half-backs: Hafiz Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Saqlain, Fareed Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmad.
Forwards: Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali.
Dawn
Sohail Abbass, Wasim Ahmad, Rehan Butt, Salman Akbar recalled
Staff Report
LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday included penalty corner expert Sohail Abbass and half-line player Wasim Ahmad, forward Rehan Butt and goalkeeper Salman Akbar in an 18-member squad named for the Asia Cup starting from May 5 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
All four former captains have been recalled with an aim to finish at top of the Asia Cup to qualify for the next year’s World Cup. Zeeshan Ashraf has been named as captain. The team will leave for Malaysia on May 4. The green shirts will play warm-up matches against Malaysia and Japan on 5 and 7 respectively. The first match will be played against China on 9, the second will be against India on 10 and the last pool match will be against Bangladesh on 12.
“The selected players are unanimous choice of the selection committee members who believe that return of the seniors will be an added advantage for the team in terms of improving its performance and to produce desired results in the Asia Cup,” chief selector Hassan Sardar told reporters yesterday after completion of two-day trials here at the National Stadium. PHF general secretary Mohammad Asif Bajwa and other selectors were also present on the occasion. Hassan said six changes had been made in the team: four senior and two junior players had replaced six others. “Pakistan are participating in a prestigious tournament after a long time, but we still have the hopes that the team will produce good results in the tournament.
Sohail and Wasim made a comeback after a gap of almost three years. They last played for Pakistan in the World Cup in 2006 while Rehan and Salman last played for Pakistan in Beijing Olympics 2008. The four were playing in European hockey league and decided to represent Pakistan again after the PHF put in a lot of efforts to convince them. “It is a very important tournament for us and we hope that the senior players will be at their best to motivate the team to success,” said Hassan. Winning the Asia Cup seems an uphill task in presence of archrivals India, China and Malaysia. Pakistan finished 7th in the last Asia Cup and the green shirts recently put up a dismal show in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup by finishing 4th in the five-team competition.
Hassan said Pakistan’s goalkeeping section was too week in Azlan Shah Cup. “But after comeback of Salman the goal keeping section has become strong.” The selectors have also included forward Abdul Haseem Khan, the captain of the Pakistan junior team, and Mohammad Irfan, junior half-line player, in the senior team. “It is a best combination that has been picked up. We have tried to gel experience with youth,” maintained the chief selector. He said it was a sour reality that Pakistan team was going through a bad patch but the selectors were not disappointed as far as the future of the game was concerned.
Squad:
Goalkeeper: Salman Akbar. Full-backs: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Sohail Abbas, Mohammad Imran, Hafiz Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Saqlain, Farid Ahmad, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Wasim Ahmad. Forwards: Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Abdul Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool and Akhtar Ali. Officials: Mohammad Asif Bajwa (manager), Shahid Ali Khan and Kamran Ashraf (coach), Faizur Rehman (physio) and Nadeem Khan Lodhi (video analyst).
The Daily Times
Abbas and Butt back in Pakistan squad for Asia Cup
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hockey selectors recalled penalty corner specialist Sohail Abbas on Thursday for next month's Asia Cup.
Former captain Rehan Butt, midfielder Waseem Ahmed and goalkeeper Salman Akbar were the other senior players returned to Pakistan's 18-man squad.
Abbas, with a world-record 274 goals, has been ignored for selection since the 2006 World Cup when Pakistan finished sixth in the 12-team competition. In the meantime, he has played in the Dutch league along with Ahmed.
All four senior players missed this month's Azlan Shah Cup in Malaysia as Pakistan finished fourth among the five participating teams.
"With the return of senior players, it will surely give us an edge,'' Pakistan's celebrated forward Hasan Sardar, who is now the chief selector, said.
Sardar identified goalkeeping as one of the areas in which Pakistan needed improvement.
"We conceded lots of goals in Azlan Shah tournament and with the return of Salman (Akbar) I think we will show a much improved performance in the Asia Cup,'' Sardar said.
Pakistan is presently ranked sixth in Asia, and only victory in the Asia Cup will earn them an automatic berth for next year's World Cup.
Malaysia will host the 8th Asia Cup from May 9-16.
Squad: Zeeshan Ashraf (captain), Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Irfan, Salman Akbar, Mohammad Saqlain, Sohail Abbas, Fareed Ahmed, Dilawar Hussain, Sajjad Anwar, Waseem Ahmed, Rehan Butt, Waqas Sharif, Tariq Aziz, Haseem Khan, Shakeel Abbasi, Abbas Haider, Shafqat Rasool, Akhtar Ali.
The Times of India
FIH gives consent to Asian body
THE International Hockey Federation (FIH) has consented to the 8th Asia Cup being played in two groups, even though there are only seven participating teams.
This was revealed by Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) secretary general Tan Sri P. Alagendra yesterday.
"Normally when there are only seven teams, the format is one group. But the FIH has consented to two groups for the Asia Cup, which I believe is a first," said Alagendra, who attended the AirAsia title sponsorship signing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Group A has four teams, while Group B has three teams in the Asia Cup. The new fixtures were also released and will see Malaysia keep their opening match against South Korea, then play Bangladesh and wrap up the fixtures against Japan.
Oman were initially in Malaysia's group, but withdrew and were replaced by Sri Lanka, who also withdrew later, leaving AHF with no choice but to host a lopsided tournament.
The Asia Cup champions will receive a direct entry into the 2010 New Delhi World Cup.
"There are still a few more issues to be ironed out. India are the World Cup hosts, and if they win in Kuantan it is still not clear if the second placed team will receive the ticket to play.
"We will work it out soon with the FIH and make an announcement later," said Alagendra.
Meanwhile, the MHF also launched its website yesterday and the address is www.malaysianhockey.com.my.
Meanwhile MHF and AHF have agreed to give the Asia Cup rights to a website operator to stream matches live on a pay-per-view basis.
The website operator will not be paid for this venture, instead, it will share its earnings in the pay-per-view with MHF. The operator, at www.hockey-asia.com, also receives the rights of hockey matches held under the MHF banner like the Azlan Shah Cup and the Malaysia Hockey League.
New Straits Times
AirAsia flies in with RM500,000
By Jugjet Singh
AIRASIA became the title sponsors for the 8th Asia Cup in Kuantan with a cash sponsorship of RM500,000 yesterday.
The Asia Cup will be held on May 9-16, with Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh in Group A, while Pakistan, India and China are in Group B.
Present at the signing ceremony in Kuala Lumpur yesterday were Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and AirAsia Group Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes.
"I became interested in hockey after watching the 1975 Kuala Lumpur World Cup as an 11-year-old. I believe the partnership between MHF and AirAsia will be a fruitful and lasting one, and together we will work to bring back Malaysia to the '75 level," said Tony.
The cost to host the Asia Cup is around RM1.3 million, and the MHF has a few more sponsors lined-up to ease its burden.
"I was impressed with the way Malaysia played in the Azlan Shah Cup. And I believe the national team have the potential, but are missing something, which I can't pinpoint, which is holding them back.
"When AirAsia started, nobody believed that we would reach the level we are today. The hockey team are in the same boat as we were, and I believe one day, they will be the most successful team sport in Malaysia again," said Tony.
Internationally, AirAsia has been associated with Manchester United and Williams in Formula One. And on the local front, it has sponsored football, squash and now hockey.
"I would like to thank Tony for this generous gesture, and hope this is a long-term commitment to improve Malaysia's ranking. As I have said before, I want to see Malaysia in the top-ten bracket soon, and only then would I seek another term in MHF," said Tengku Abdullah.
Tengku Abdullah said success on the field will make it easier to attract sponsors.
"We need about RM3 million a year to train the various age-groups, run MHF and the various tournaments. So, if the team are successful on the pitch, I believe sponsors would readily want to be associated with the sport."
At the end of the function, a cake was wheeled in as Tony turned 45 yesterday.
Reebok was also present to sign an MoU which will see the national juniors and seniors wearing its attire in the Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup.
The Reebok jersey is yellow and blue, with the Jalur Gemilang prominently displayed at the front.
New Straits Times
AirAsia chip in RM500,000 for Asia Cup
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) have received a RM500,000 sponsorship from AirAsia for the Asia Cup tournament in Kuantan from May 9-16.
MHF president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahamd Shah, who said the Asia Cup will cost about RM1.3mil to host, thanked AirAsia for their support.
“We have a few more sponsors lined up to help ease our burden,” he said after the signing ceremony with AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes yesterday.
“I would like to thank Tony for this generous gesture and hope this long-term commitment will help improve Malaysia’s rankings in the world from the current 15th.
“I want to see Malaysia in the top-ten bracket soon. Only then will I seek another term in MHF.”
Tengku Abdullah said it would be easier to attract sponsors if the national team were more successful on the field.
“We need about RM3mil a year to train the various age-groups and run all our tournaments,” he said.
Fernandes, meanwhile, said he got hooked on hockey after watching the 1975 World Cup in Kuala Lumpur as an 11-year-old.
“I believe the partnership between MHF and AirAsia will be a fruitful and lasting one,” said Tony, who turned 45 yesterday.
At the same function, Reebok also signed a memorandum of understandings (MoU) with the MHF to sponsor the attire for the seniors and the National Juniors in the Asia Cup and the Junior World Cup (June).
Seven teams will compete in the Asia Cup following Sri Lanka’s withdrawal on Tuesday. Malaysia are in Group A with South Korea, Japan and Bangladesh. Group B comprises defending hampions India, Pakistan and China.
The Star of Malaysia
Day Four Men’s U21 IPT
Southern Gauteng knocked defending champions Western Province out of semi final contention last night with a nail biting 3 – 2 victory. This means that the battle for second spot in Pool A will be decided today in the match between Southerns and KZN Coastals. Northern Gauteng are likely to take top spot in the pool needing a draw or win against bottom of the log Northern Cape.
Pool B has also come down to the wire with four teams in contention for a semi final berth. The SA U19 team need a win or draw against Eastern Province to take top spot. However, if EP beat the Juniors then they will take the top spot. Should EP slip up and lose to the Juniors, then Free State and KZN Inland have a chance of making the semi finals ahead of EP based on the result of their match.
Some interesting, intense hockey is on the cards for today.
Results from the day:
Pool A
KZN Coastals 13 – Northern Cape 0
Northern Gauteng 4 – Border 1
Southern Gauteng 3 – Western Province 2
Pool B
Eastern Province 4 - Free State 2
SA U19 1 – Peninsula 1
KZN Inland 6 – North West 0
SA Hockey Association media release
All eyes on penalty corners
PENALTY corners could decide which sports school win the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) under-19 overall title on Sunday at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) have Dangerous Lee, while Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) boast of Amir Farid. Both of them have scored 13 goals.
The top-scorer at present on 14 goals is K. Satesh of Division Three club Nur Insafi but he could be toppled by either of the sports school flickers.
"It was good that the final has been postponed from Wednesday to Sunday, as we will have more time to practise set-pieces and penalty corner flicks.
"My defenders must not give away unnecessary penalty corners, because BPSS have a good conversion rate. We will be looking for penalty corners when we enter the semi-circle, as we have a good flicker as well," said BJSS coach S. Prakash.
SUNDAY: Final-- Bukit Jalil Sports School v Bandar Penawar Sports School (National Stadium Pitch II, 5pm); Third-Fourth: Tenaga Nasional v Petaling Jaya City Council (National Stadium Pitch II, 3pm).
New Straits Times
BPSS motivated for final
By AFTAR SINGH
KUALA LUMPUR: First-time finalists Bandar Penawar Sports School (BPSS) have sent their players for motivational talks in a bid to boost their mental strength ahead of the showdown against Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) this weekend.
The two sports schools will clash for the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) Under-19 overall title at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Sunday.
BPSS coach Wan Roslan Wan Abdul Rahman hoped that the talks would help his players, who have never played in a final before, to be mentally ready to take on four-time overall champions BJSS.
“The players had two sessions, which were conducted by the National Sports Institute (NSI), on Tuesday and Thursday,” said Wan Roslan, who has been coaching BPSS since 2002.
“The NSI also held a motivational talk for my players last month and it helped spur them to finish second in Division Two.
“With better mental strength and a higher level of fitness, I hope my boys will rise to the occasion and win our first overall title. I expect the final to be really interesting and explosive.”
Wan Roslan said although his team were the underdogs, they would not settle for second best on Sunday.
“The pressure will be on BJSS as they are the favourites,” said Wan Roslan, who expects the final, postponed from Wednesday, to attract a bigger crowd.
He added that many parents would travel to Kuala Lumpur to watch their children play in final.
“This will definitely will inspire my boys to give their best on Sunday.”
The Star of Malaysia
Canada announces World Cup Squad selection camp
Following last month's successful campaign to win the Pan American Cup in Santiago and direct qualification to the 2010 World Cup in New Delhi, the Canadian Men's Team is formally initiating it's World Cup preparation. Head Coach Alan Brahmst announced that the first project for the Champions of the Americas is a 4 day National Selection Camp scheduled for June 4-7th in Vancouver. Field Hockey Canada's objective for this camp is to identify the World Cup squad of 28-30 athletes, who will form the core group of players participating in the preparation projects over the next 10 months.
"The camp will be comprehensive with 15 hours of on-field activities and will include fitness testing and a technical capabilities evaluation. Tactical assessments will be performed as part of numerous inter-squad matches", said Brahmst and then added, "for Canada, as we move toward two significant competitions in 2010, the World Cup & the Commonwealth Games, we are looking to now design a younger squad, which will form the longer-term core of our National Team as we move toward London 2012 and then into the next Olympic cycle. Although performance in the short term is a top priority, we are looking for the right balance to sustain our success and continue our climb in world rankings beyond 2010."
The squad will be announced on June 9th before the athletes join the provincial team training phase, which concludes with the National Championships in Calgary from July 20-26th.
Field Hockey Canada media release
More exposure tours for women’s hockey team
Manuja Veerappa
Bengaluru, April 30: The 2010 Commonwealth Games. That is the single-minded focus for most sporting events in the country right now.
The Indian Women Hockey Federation is no different and is channeling all its resources into putting up a good show at the Delhi Games next year.
IWHF secretary Amrit Bose, who is in the city to oversee the selection trials which begin on Friday, said, "We are trying out various combination of senior and junior players in exposure tours so that we are well prepared for the Games. Off the 48 in the camp, we will pick 30 players for the core training group."
Apart from the U-21 Hockey World Cup in August and a four-nation tournament in June, the team will also travel to Canada and Germany on exposure tours.
"We want to try and get the girls to play abroad as much as possible. We need to play with the best teams to produce results," said Bose.
In a couple of months from now, the IWHF will merge with the IHF in accordance with the International Hockey Federation’s guidelines. The confederation will then be known as Hockey India.
On the role of the women’s wing in Hockey India, Bose said, "It will be a properly formed unit and there will be no room for discrimination. We will work as a single unit. It will have a positive effect on women’s hockey. In fact, in a week’s time, we will launch a women’s hockey website, which will be linked to the Hockey India website when it is launched."
Despite their best efforts, there hasn’t been an explosion of talent on the national circuit.
Blaming the administrative set-up in the country, Bose said, "The number of tournaments at the grassroot level has dwindled. The state governments, especially the education departments, have to take up the initiative to promote the sport."
Bose also called upon the national players to be more responsible.
"In the European countries, players are more responsible and they stick to the regime given to them even when they are not in camps. This is not the case with Indian players.
"Although we give each player a workout schedule they have to follow when they are not in camps, they hardly follow it. For the team to do well, each player has to take responsibility for their fitness and performance," she said.
The Asian Age
Carmel 5-a-Side Rink Hockey Starts Today in Mumbai
by K. Arumugam
May 1 2009: The third Carmel 5-a-side Rink Hockey tournament starts today at Bandra in Mumbai. Mp> The event is organized for 6 categories including for boys under 12, boys under 14, school girls, women, private clubs and the super league and national teams. In all, 40 teams will take part, 54 matches will be played, the event will run for a week.
The hockey loving public of Bandra -- this locality in Mumbai produced lot many hockey players and has a hockey tradition -- thus gets to enjoy hockey at the grassroot levels, women's hockey. Further, they will also have glimpse of former players of the country. A galaxy of former and present players are expected to grace the event regularly, most of them will also be coaching the participants in the run up to the tournaments.
Most of the matches will be played under floodlights.
"The matches will be exciting and entertaining for the crowds. Because the action is fast and furious, short duration of games (10 minutes each half for the school teams and 15 minutes each half for the senior teams)" says Viren Rasquinha, prime mover behind the event.
Arjuna Award winner Viren Rasquinha has recently completed his MBA course from the prestigious Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
This year marks the 3rd edition of the annual tournament.
There will also be 4-day coaching camp for around 70-80 kids. Well known hockey stars like Dhanraj Pillay, Edgar Mascarenhas Sr., Edgar Mascarenhas Jr. (goalkeeper), Anil Aldrin, Devinder Kumar (all Air India) and Devesh Chauhan, Jaswinder Singh, Kamlesh Kumar (all Indian Oil)will be coaching these kids, besides Viren himself.
Stick2Hockey.com
Most successful hockey nation has only two turfs
KARACHI: Having a glorious record in the world of hockey, ironically Pakistan have only two proper synthetic turfs available for the players who opt for the national game that has all but lost its past glory.
To date, Pakistan has been the most successful team in the World Cup, with four titles and six appearances in the final. The Netherlands have also been successful, with three titles and five appearances in the final. But the difference between the two great hockey nations is that Netherlands has more than 400 synthetic turfs whereas Astroturf in Pakistan could be counted on the fingers with only two meeting the international standards.
Pakistan has gone down to Number 8 in the world circuit with its infrastructure totally out of order. "We have Astroturf here in Steel Town hockey stadium but it has expired and we are working to have a new one," Rashid Mohammad Sports In charge Pakistan Steel told PPI.
Rashid is also a Grade-I hockey umpire of International Hockey Federation (FIH) and manager umpire of Pakistan Hockey Federation. He added that the Astroturf in UBL Sports Complex has also expired and they are also thinking of replacing it with a new one.
"At the Defense Stadium, children play cricket on the turf," he said. "The only proper Astroturf in Karachi is at Hockey Club of Pakistan. And the Astroturf in National Hockey Stadium in Lahore also meets the international standards. Other than these two there is no proper Astroturf in Pakistan," Rashid added.
A PHF official told PPI that Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Quetta, Peshawar, Bannu, Gojra, Hyderabad, Sialkot and Faisalabad have one synthetic turf each.
"The Astroturf in Bannu was laid with out a proper base and when players play the red soil comes to the surface making it slippery for the players," Rashid said. "While the water is not available for the turf in Abbottabad. They manually water it and by the time they reach the other end the first end dry out," he added.
He further said that Quetta will soon be having another Astroturf at the General Moosa Stadium. "But turf laid in Quetta is in between the race course there, and the dust covers the synthetic turf with every race" Rashid said.
He further said that Habib Public School was also working to install a Astroturf at its hockey ground. "Habib Public School and another school in Gojra produced most of the prominent hockey players for Pakistan hockey. The Habib Public School was making efforts to install an Astroturf at its hockey ground but due to some problem they have delayed their plan. Hopefully they will soon have an Astroturf," Rashid said.
He commended the efforts of City District Government Karachi (CDGK) for installing Astroturf at Olympian Iftikhar Syed Sports Academy (OISSA).
"But I would like to advice them not to pay the complete amount to the company they have hired for the purpose. If they have given a 10-year-guarantee, then they must pay the amount in installments so that one could stop the payment if the turf dilapidates," Rashid said.
The News International
Marathon man
Dilip Tirkey, the most-capped hockey player in the world, talks to V. V. Subrahmanyam about the highs and lows of his career.
Two years ago, while going through Sportstar, Dilip Tirkey took note of a statistic by the hockey statistician, B. G. Joshi, which referred to him as the most-capped player (360 matches) from India in international hockey. That was when he touched his heart and decided to create history by becoming the most-capped player in the world.
Dilip Tirkey, 31, who is often referred to as the ‘Wall of Indian hockey’, achieved his goal during the recent Sultan Azlan Shah Trophy in Ipoh (Malaysia), where India, led by Sandeep Singh, emerged victorious.
For someone who had seriously thought of quitting the sport in the wake of the all-round condemnation following India’s failure to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the most-capped player in the world was a great achievement indeed. Tirkey had to not only overcome the mental trauma associated with India’s debacle in the Olympic qualifiers but also an ankle injury that put him out of action for five months.
“Those were horrible days when everything seemed hopeless. The widespread criticism really hurt us. Personally too I felt terribly down after the failure to qualify for the Olympics. Then, the ankle injury.
“I was just not able to even walk, leave alone run. It was really frustrating and very difficult to be in the right frame of mind. But thanks to my friends and well-wishers, who kept reminding me of my long career saying that the sport doesn’t quite often see someone of such longevity, they ensured that I stayed focussed,” Tirkey said in a chat with Sportstar.
“That was the phase when the athletics coach, Arun Das, and trainer Mukti Prasad really worked hard with me,” he said.
When he became the most capped hockey player in the world (408 matches now) — Jeroen Delmee of the Netherlands held the record with 401 caps — Tirkey’s joy knew no bounds. “It is a great feeling. It is always nice to be with the Indian team. Obviously this record means a lot to me in particular and to Indian hockey in general. And, when we won the Azlan Shah Trophy, it was more special. It was a double delight,” Tirkey explained.
The affable defender, who thwarted the best of forwards with his impeccable and gritty displays, said that he was always confident of making a comeback to the Indian team after being out due to injury.
“The sheer love for the sport made me believe that I should be there in the Indian team,” said Tirkey who admires former India captain Pargat Singh and Dutch penalty-corner specialist Floris Bovelander.
For inspiration he also looks to Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes and Baichung Bhutia for the way they have sustained their level of excellence for such a long time at the highest level. “Their commitment and passion for the sport are two big characteristics that I try to imbibe,” Tirkey said.
Tirkey doesn’t seem to be bothered about who is in charge of the Indian team. “For me, once selected, the first objective is to give more than 100 per cent. Team’s interests are of primary concern. I have never chased any personal goals,” he said.
Talking of India’s triumph in Ipoh, Tirkey said: “Sandeep is young and led admirably in the Azlan Shah Trophy. The best part of our victory was that we started scoring more field goals and played real attacking hockey. This is great news for us. Everyone chipped in and thoroughly enjoyed the whole event.
“I do believe that the Azlan Shah victory would give us a lot of confidence. We badly needed this and it came in a very emphatic manner in the final,” he added.
Is Tirkey still chasing any dream?
“The fact that I haven’t won an Olympic or World Cup medal still haunts me. But right now, I am focussing on playing in the Asia Cup, then the Commonwealth Games and the World Cup (both to be held in Delhi),” he said.
Sportstar