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The Pakistan hockey team has encountered a huge setback ahead of the much-anticipated Asian Champions Trophy in India. The newly-appointed consultant of the team has not been granted the visa yet, which has canceled his participation in the tournament with the team in the cross-border country.
The team will now miss his services as he will not be accommodating the announced hockey squad for the Asian Champions Trophy. Since the Pakistani contingent is due to travel to India on August 1, no preparations can be made in a short course.
Shahnaz was coaching Pakistan's squad back in 2014 when India defeated the Men in Green in the Champions Trophy. His dedication to take Pakistan hockey team to new heights has been incredible. The team will now look to elevate their game in the forthcoming tournament in India to leave an indelible mark.
All Pakistani players granted visas for Asian Champions Trophy
Earlier, the Indian High Commissioner issued visas for all the officials and the players. Yet, the three officials were not granted their visas by the embassy. It was expected that they will be getting their visas for traveling to India in a day or two, however, luck has not favored them.
The players also got their No-Objection Certificates (NOC) on Saturday, July 29, as the secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Haider Hussain broke the good news. The NOCs issuance was confirmed by the Ministry of Interior, giving Pakistan hockey team the green signal to take part in the Asian Champions Trophy.
He added,
“The contingent will leave on Tuesday via the Wagah border and travel to Amritsar from where they have been booked on a domestic flight for Chennai."
The team will leave for India through Wagha Border. They are scheduled to play their first game against Malaysia on August 3. Whereas, the much-anticipated Indo-Pak clash will be played on the 9th of the month. The lookouts are expecting an intense clash between the arch-rivals.
