Pakistan not to play in Junior Hockey World Cup in India: FIH

Pakistan's men's junior team will not be able to take part in this year's Junior Hockey World Cup in Uttar Pradesh as it had applied for visas for players after the official deadline, International Hockey Federation (FIH) said today.

Malaysia's junior men's team will replace Pakistan in the event to be held in Lucknow from December 8 to 18, FIH said in a statement. The late invitation came after FIH had to officially withdraw Pakistan's invitation to the event. "FIH regrets that Pakistan's men's junior team will not be able to take part in this year's Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup even though they had officially qualified," the statement said. "FIH's decision follows considerable discussions with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and requests for confirmation that they had the necessary arrangements in place to be able to participate in the event," it said.

"Visas had been applied for after the official deadline and no accommodation was confirmed within the set deadlines. Despite a number of correspondence and reminders, the PHF was not able to show that their team would be able to travel to Lucknow for the event which begins in only a few days time, the statement added. "FIH has substantial contractual obligations to its partners to deliver a full number of matches at the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Hockey Junior World Cup Men. With the event starting in only a few days' time, today was the last possibility for FIH to ensure the quality of the event, with a full complement of 16 teams playing in Lucknow," the statement said.