Olympians, ex-players call for radical changes in PHF after Pakistan fails to qualify for hockey World Cup

hockey World Cup has created a furore in the nation with former players finding it "hard to digest" and calling for heads to roll in the national federation. Pakistan hockey suffered a crushing blow on Thursday when it lost to Japan 2-3 in its final Poll A match of the ongoing Asia Cup.

With India winning 16-0 against hosts Indonesia, Pakistan crashed out of the tournament and also failed to qualify for next year's FIH World Cup to be held in the twin cities of Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. Once the undisputed champions of world hockey, Pakistan has reeled from one crisis to another and from one disappointment to another and Thursday's blow has led to renewed calls for the sacking of the long-serving president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Brigadier (retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokar and coach Khawaja Junaid Junaid, a former Olympian has been associated with the national senior and junior teams on a regular basis since his retirement.

"This is very hard to digest that for the second time now we have failed to qualify for the World Cup. Where is our hockey headed now?" former captain and Olympian Samiullah questioned.

Another former captain and Olympian, Islahuddin said it was heartbreaking that Pakistan has not qualified for the last two Olympics and now its second successive World Cup. "There was a time when such big events were incomplete without Pakistan," he said.

Islahuddin's concerns are understandable considering that Pakistan, which is a proud hockey nation with three Olympic gold medals, four World Cup titles and numerous Asian level wins, has now gone without a major title since 2010 when they won the Asian Games gold. Pakistan had high hopes of qualifying for the World Cup after drubbing Indonesia 13-0 in the