LAHORE
\nAfter Germany\u2019s junior hockey team, Oman\u2019s national squad is visiting Pakistan from April 6 to play four matches against Paki\u00adstan juniors, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Tariq Hussain Bugti said on Wednesday.
\nBugti said this while addressing a press conference after Pakistan hockey player Ammad Shakeel Butt was honoured for being awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on the Pakistan Day.
\nBugti was flanked by Ammad, PHF secretary Rana Mujahid and newly-appointed head coach Tahir Zaman.
\nThe PHF said that it was a moment of pride for the country\u2019s hockey fraternity that Ammad was honoured with a civil award.
\n\u201cThe Oman team will play two matches each in Lahore and Islamabad,\u201d Bugti said while thanking German and Oman hockey federations for sending their teams to Pakistan.
\nSpeaking on the occasion, Ammad said he was excited after earning the award and hoped that more hockey players would get the honours.
\nAccording to Ammad, the series against Germany\u2019s juniors had benefited the hosts who would get more experience from the forthcoming series against Oman.
\nTo overcome PHF\u2019s financial problems, Bugti said, the federation had established a marketing department.
\nWhen asked to comment on some reports suggesting the Malaysian Hockey Federation had not invited Pakistan for this year\u2019s Azlan Shah Cup because the PHF had to pay some of their dues, Mujahid said he had no such information.
\n\u201cAll such reports are coming out on assumption. Therefore, we should avoid them because the PHF and Malaysian Hockey Federation have exemplary relations,\u201d Mujahid stated. \u201c[Even] if there are any dues, the PHF is ready to pay but we should avoid assumptions,\u201d he emphasised.
\nMujahid said that the PHF had made a comprehensive plan for its senior and junior teams for the forthcoming World and Asia Cup assignments.
\nPakistan are to play the qualifying round for the next year\u2019s World Cup to be held jointly by Belgium and the Netherlands. The Junior World Cup and Asia Cup are being held this year in India.
\n\u201cWe are planning to provide at least 25 international matches to our senior team, both at home and away, and negotiating with three countries to visit Pakistan,\u201d Mujahid revealed.
\nHe said it was premature to comment if Pakistan would go to India to participate in the Asia Cup and in the Junior World Cup.
\n\u201cWe will ask the federal government to decide if our teams should go to India,\u201d he said.
\nMujahid said the training camp for the national junior team would start in Lahore on April 4.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LAHORE After Germany\u2019s junior hockey team, Oman\u2019s national squad is visiting Pakistan from April 6 to play four matches against Paki\u00adstan juniors, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) president Tariq Hussain Bugti said on Wednesday. Bugti said this while addressing a press conference after Pakistan hockey player Ammad Shakeel Butt was honoured for being awarded Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-469647","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n