Due to visa issues, Pakistan’s hockey team has traveled for Dhaka to compete in the Asian Champions Trophy without a goalkeeper. Both goalkeepers in the Pakistan camp, Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas were denied visas to Bangladesh, according to Asif Bajwa, secretary of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). “The squad has gone for Dhaka without any goalkeepers due to the unexpected situation,” Bajwa explained. According to him, the PHF has decided to send Abdullah and Waqar, two goalkeepers who recently represented Pakistan in the Junior World Cup in India.
“Now that they have Bangladesh visas, we’re sending them to Dhaka because we can’t take any chances with the senior goalkeepers waiting for visas,” he said. Interestingly, the PHF called seniors Mazhar and Amjad to the Champions Trophy camp on the advice of goalkeeping coach Ahmed Alam.
Initially, we planned to maintain the goalkeepers from the junior team for the senior event as well, but given the team’s dismal performance at the Junior World Cup, the goalkeeping coach believed it was best to return the senior goalkeepers,” Bajwa added. He said that Amjad and Mazhar’s visas were not secured in time since they were late additions to the camp, although Abdullah and Waqar’s visas were provided on time.
