3 Pakistan hockey players banned for life for seeking asylum in European country

Lahore: Three Pakistan hockey players and a physiotherapist have been banned for life for attempting to seek asylum in a European country after slipping away without the knowledge of the Pakistan Hockey Federation.

PHF secretary-general Rana Mujahid confirmed on Thursday that Murtaza Yaqoob, Ihtesham Aslam and Abdur Rahman, along with physiotherapist Waqas, had gone to the Netherlands and Poland last month for the Nations Cup.

"When the team returned home and we announced a training camp for the Asian Champions Trophy, the three informed us that due to domestic issues they wouldn't be able to attend the camp," Mujahid said.

"Later we came to know that they had flown out to Holland once again on the same Schengen visas issued to the team and sought political asylum there," he added.

Mujahid said it was a "disappointing" episode for Pakistan hockey, which would make it difficult to apply for visas to European countries for international competitions.

He said that the PHF Congress had approved the lifetime ban and asked the PHF president to make efforts through the Pakistan consulate to bring them back for disciplinary action.

"We have already notified the interior and foreign ministries for further action," he added.

The former Olympian acknowledged that while the PHF's financial situation was challenging and that players had faced delays in their travel allowances and daily subsistence payments, these issues did not justify abandoning the national team and bringing disrepute to the country.