ISLAMABAD: Pakistan hockey team will not be able to play in the 2019 FIH Pro League as the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today said it had taken the decision to suspend it from the event.
“Pakistan will not take part in the 2019 FIH Pro League. The Pakistan Hockey Association (Federation) informed FIH today that they were no longer able to play their first three games planned against Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, citing “inevitable circumstances”.
“Therefore, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has taken the decision to suspend the Asian team from the 2019 FIH Pro League in order not to jeopardize the regularity and the smooth delivery of the event, which kicked-off successfully last Saturday in Valencia,” the world game’s governing body said on his official website.
“It is regretful that Pakistan has decided only now to withdraw from the first games of the FIH Pro League. Consequently, FIH were left with no other option than suspending Pakistan from the rest of the competition’s season. At this stage, I would like to thank all participating National Associations who
had adapted their schedules to support a solution for Pakistan to join the competition this year,” the website quoted FIH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thierry Weil as saying.
The FIH Pro League is a brand-new competition and part of FIH’s new event portfolio. It is a global home and away league involving many of the world’s leading hockey nations, men and women, for a six-month period. The non-participation of Pakistan has no impact on the competition format. The eight men teams of the FIH Pro League will play each other on a home and away basis from January to June, the FIH added.