Sports Bulletin

Adil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): Netherlands defeated the hosts Oman 5-3 in semifinals of 2024 FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup (Oman 2024) on Tuesday to make it to the finals. At the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat, the national team hockey players delivered a solid performance despite the defeat while the Dutch continued to set the standard for the tournament as the produced a top show. Oman will vie for a bronze medal against the looser of Poland and Malaysia match who played a late match on Tuesday.Back to Oman and Netherlands game, the hosts Oman were delayed in the first half by 3-0 after Schop Alexander, De Wijn Sander and Van Der Drift Yannick found the target by the half-time break before then extending their lead in the second half to reach an 5-3 victory. Rashad al Fazari and his teammates failed in the first half to convert many scoring attempts to goals following the good saves by Netherlands goalie Schaper Koene. In the second half, Oman head coach Aikman Siegfried instructions to the players to focus more in the attacking side. De Wijn Sander began the second half strongly as he netted the fourth goal for the Netherlands while Rashad al Fazari scored the first Omani goal in this half through filed goal in the 19th minute. Two minutes later, Khalid al Shaaibi added the second goal in style to make it 4-2 before Van Aart Jamie came back again to score the fifth goal in the 23rd minute. Sami al Laun managed to score the concluding goal for Oman to end the game at 5-3 for the Dutch. Oman beat Kenya (5-2):Earlier on Tuesday, Oman secured spot in the semifinal after they beat Kenya 5-2 in a thrilling match. The national team players produced an excellent show that confirmed Oman's presence in the last four in a historic achievement. Oman's Rashad al Fazari took the lead for his team after a perfect corner goal in the 9th minute and within the same minute, Khalid al Shaaibi doubled the lead for Oman to 2-0. Masambu Bethuel netted the first goal for Kenya in the 13th minute through field goal to end the first half at 2-1 for the hosts Oman. In the following quarter, Asama Barazhan struck the third goal before Khald al Shabib added two more goals in the 20th and 22nd minute to raise Oman's hopes in advancing to the historic semifinals. Masambu Bethuel managed to score the team's second goal again in the 23rd minute to conclude the match at 5-2.Netherlands beat India (7-4): In another match, Netherlands outplayed India 7-4 to book slot in the semifinals. It was a top match for De Wijn Sander and Schop Alexander as they netted two goals each to support their teams to clinch crucial spot to the last four.

Adil Al Balushi Muscat (Oman): The hosts Sultanate of Oman stormed into the historic quarterfinals of the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup (Oman 2024) as they edged US 6-4 on Monday at the Hockey Oman Stadium in Al Amerat. Oman's players confirmed leading the group as they claimed seven points in their tally of pool D following two wins against Fiji (8-3) and US (6-4) beside a 3-3 draw against Malaysia in the opener. Malaysia joined the hosts Oman to the quarters as they finished as runners up with the same credit but less goals difference.Back to Oman and US match in the concluding round of the group matches, Barminski Michael gave US lead but one minute later Rashadal Fazari equlaised for Oman while Madit Aiman found the net to make it 2-1 for US in the 14th minute and end the first half. In the deciding half, Oman head coach Aikman Siegfried entered the match with a different plan as the players were attacking in order to secure the second straight win after they played out a 3-3 draw in the opener and then won Fiji 8-3. Khalid al Shaaibi (20, 29), Mahmood Bait Shamaiaa (22) and Khalid al Lawati (25) struck Oman's goals in the second half while Harris Pat struck two goals within one minute in the 23rd minute while Gandhi Mohan netted the fourth goal for US. Khalid al Shaaibi expressed his joy post the post the match and he said:" It is great historic moments to reach into the quarterfinals in this inaugural edition of the FIH Men's Hockey5s World Cup. This does not come in easy way as we worked very hard before the tournament and during the event. Thanks for the coaching staff and fans for their continuous support. Special thanks for the association and will do our level best in the forthcoming matches," he endedOman will meet Kenya in the quarterfinals as the match will take place on Tuesday. The match will start at 9:10. Malaysia will face Trinidad & Tobago in another quarters match. The topper of pool B Egypt will meet Poland who ended as runners up in pool A. The second placed team in pool B India will play against Netherlands who ended as first team in pool A in a tight clash. Egypt confirmed their progression to the next stage as the top team in the group after they defeated Switzerland 9-1.It was only Netherlands and Egypt teams who finished the group matches on full mark from three games. The African team thumped Jamaica 10-2 in the opener before edging India 8-6 in a thrilling match on Sunday. Then, they outclassed Switzerland 9-1. Netherlands men's team will aim to duplicate the women's team triumph as they crowned champions of the FIH Women's Hockey5s World Cup. The Dutch began their campaign strongly with 6-3 win over Poland before outclassing Pakistan 5-3 in the following match. They concluded their group games with a crucial 8-6 win over Nigeria on Monday.

Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, and India reach in quarterfinalsSports Bulletin ReportMuscat (Oman): Netherlands, Ukraine, South Africa, and India advanced into the quarterfinals of the 1st FIH Hockey five-a-side World Cup, which got underway in Muscat, Oman on Wednesday, as 138 goals were scored in 16 encounters.Pool A: The Netherlands showed themselves to be real tournament contenders, posting two big wins to book their place in the quarter-finals. They first dismantled Fiji 14-1 with hat-tricks from Bente van der Veldt and Marloes Timmermans. The Dutch side then went on to hammer Malaysia 10-0 and, although it took them eight minutes to find a goal, they put some exquisite plays together. All of the Dutch outfield players scored at least two goals each on the day. In other matches in Pool A, Malaysia posted a solid 10-0 victory against hosts Oman, Zati Muhamad scoring four of those goals and Zafirah Aziz scoring three. Fiji came from behind and then snuck in a late goal in their 3-2 win against hosts Oman – both sides making their debuts at an FIH Hockey World Cup event. The day’s results mean Malaysia and Fiji face each other on Thursday with a spot in the quarter-finals up for grabs. POOL B: Ukraine and South Africa secured their places in the quarter-finals with two good wins each. Ukraine started with an impressive 6-3 win over Australia, Anna Tanchenko scoring a hat-trick. They then romped home 9-0 against Zambia as Karyna Leonova chalked up four goals.Meanwhile, South Africa cruised to a 9-1 victory against the side that beat them in the pool stages of their continental qualifier – Zambia. Toni Marks bagged three goals in the SA side’s opening match. They followed this up with a 6-3 win over Australia in an enthralling contest, Grace Cochrane doing sterling work in the South African goal when the match was still evenly poised.POOL C: India recorded a narrow 5-4 win over Poland in the opening pool match and then fought back with six unanswered goals in 12 minutes to beat the USA 7-3 after earlier trailing by two goals. The Indian side are now guaranteed to advance to the quarter-finals but they will be aiming to top the table when they face hosts Oman on Thursday. In their other game of the day, the USA went a goal down early against Namibia but bounced back for an easy 6-1 win, Charlotte de Vries completing her hat-trick in the first half. Poland beat Namibia 5-1 so their showdown with the USA on Thursday is for a quarter-final spot, while Namibia will play off for the lower places.POOL D: Pool D is set up for a dramatic final round in that all four teams still have a statistical chance of progressing to the quarter-finals. Uruguay look most likely to advance, having completely dominated Paraguay for a 10-1 win, with Teresa Viana bagging five goals for her team in that match. They followed this up with a clinical performance to beat New Zealand 6-1, Viana adding another two to her haul to take her to the top of the goal-scorers chart. New Zealand fought back from a goal down to defeat Thailand 4-3 earlier in the day, and Thailand prevailed 3-1 in a tight contest with Paraguay.Results (Women’s Event Day-1):Ukraine beat Australia (6-3), South Africa beat Zambia (9-1), Malaysia beat Oman (10-0), Netherlands beat Fiji (14-1), India beat Poland (5-4), USA beat Namibia (6-1), New Zealand beat Thailand (4-3), Uruguay beat Paraguay (10-1), Ukraine beat Zambia (9-1), South Africa beat Australia (6-3), Netherlands beat Malaysia (10-0), Fiji beat Oman (3-2), Poland beat Namibia (5-1), India beat USA (7-3), Thailand beat Paraguay (3-1), Uruguay beat New Zealand (6-1).

Abubakar Mahmood and Abdul Rehman score goals on Penalty Corners for PakistanSports Bulletin ReportMuscat (Oman): Pakistan overpowered China 2-0 in their second fixture of the Paris Olympic Hockey Qualifier 2024 in Muscat on Tuesday night. Pakistan will face Malaysia in their last pool match on January 18 at the same venue.On Tuesday, Pakistan defeated China by two goals in their second pool match, as Abu Bakr Mehmood and Abdul Rehman scored the goals on penalty corners for Pakistan in the third and fourth quarters respectively. Midfielder Abubakar Mehmood was declared man of the match.In the 42nd minute of the third quarter, Pakistan's player Abubakar Mahmood scored a goal and put the Green Shirts in a lead of one goal on a penalty corner. In the 51st minute of the game, youngster Abdul Rahman scored the first international goal of his career through a penalty corner to consolidate Pakistan's lead.

Germany, New Zeeland, and China post victories on the opening dayMohammad Waqas ISLAMABAD: England outclassed Pakistan 6-1 in their opening contest of the Paris Olympic Hockey Qualifier on Monday night.Great Britain rounded out the day’s action from Oman with a professional display with 6 goals against a youthful Pakistan. Ranked 4th in the World, GB held their opposition at arms length throughout the contest - winning every quarter - and while Pakistan grabbed a late consolation, the game ended 6-1. Olympic qualifying got underway in Oman with a comfortable 9-0 win for Germany. In Martin Zwicker’s 300th appearance the world number 5 ranked side had too much for Canada, scoring freely throughout the quarters with little resistance. New Zealand got their campaign underway with 3 points against Chile, in Kane Russell’s 200th appearance. A fast start for the Black Sticks saw them 2-0 up after the first quarter, adding a field goal in the 3rd quarter. Chile fought until the end - grabbing a consolation in the dying moments of the tie.Pool A action got underway in stunning fashion, with China upsetting the odds with an eye-catching win over Malaysia. Despite Malaysia taking the lead in the second quarter China rallied to lead 2-1 heading into the final quarter. Just as it looked as though the sides would share the points after a Malaysia equaliser, Gao Jiesheng took full advantage of a penalty corner and won it for China 3-2 in the dying moments of the game. 

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: President, Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Tariq Hussain Bugti on Sunday announced a 10-man hockey team for the upcoming five-a-side World Cup Hockey Tournament, which will take place at the end of this month January in Muscat, Oman.FIH Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024 will start on 24 January in Muscat with the women's competition, which will conclude on 27 January; while the men's tournament will begin on 28 January and come to a close on 31 January.Olympian Shakeel Abbasi will be head coach-cum-manager while Olympian Dilawar Hussain will be the coach. Waqas Mahmood will serve as physiotherapistNames of players: Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan (goalkeeper), Waqar (goalkeeper), Mohammad Abdullah, Imad Shakeel Butt, Moeen Shakeel, Abdul Hanan Shahid, Arshad Liaquat, Ghazanfar Ali, Zakaria Hayat, Rana Waheed Ashraf.

Imad Shakeel Butt to lead Pakistan: Green Shirts need to stand on podium to go ParisAbdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: The National Selection Committee (NSC) of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has announced an 18-player team for the upcoming Paris Olympics Qualifier, which will take place from January 15 to 21, 2024, in Muscat, Oman.Acting head of the NSC Nasir Ali Khan unfolded the squad after the approval of president PHF Tariq Hussain Masuri Bughti after analyzing the performance of players after conducting a day of trials at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium, Pakistan Sports Complex Islamabad on Tuesday.It is pertinent to mention here that the head of NSC, Olympian Kaleem Ullah could not arrive here owing to the bad weather and the flight was not available. The other members of the NSC were Olympians Nasir Ali, Rahim Khan, and Leaque Lashari International.Head Coach Shahnaz Ahmed Sheikh said: “We had to submit the names of players according to the rules of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) and we selected the best squad for an international hockey fixture. We picked up 10 players from the juniors’ team which participated in the recently concluded Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup 2023 in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, as this team is a blend of rising young talented lads and experienced. Our team will not only qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024, will also claim the top position in the Muscat tournament”.Tariq Hussain Masuri Bughti said: “We selected the players entirely on merit and our players will perform up to mark in Oman. I congratulate new captain Imad Butt and all the selected players and hope they will toil hard to achieve their target to confirm the berth in Paris Olympics 2024. Players, who cannot get a place in the national squad should not worry, they will get other occasions soon, and I hope our players will produce notable and sparkling performances. Our aim is only to hoist the green flag in hockey areas of the world”.Imad Shakeel Butt said: “This is a great honour for me to lead the national hockey team and I and my all teammates will work hard in the field to overcome the opponents. We will try our level best to produce acceptable performance in the Paris Olympics Qualifier, which will roll into action on January 15 and Pakistan will face England in their opening match of the international hockey showpiece”.Names of selected players (18): Imad Shakeel Butt (Captain), and Abu Bakr Mahmood (Vice Captain), Abdullah Ishtiaq, Waqar, Arbaz Ahmed, Mohammad Abdullah, Sufiyan Khan, Murtaza Yaqoob, Abdul Mannan, Aqeel Ahmed, Moeen Shakil, Salman Razaq, Abdul Hannan Shahid, Ghazanfar Ali, Abdul Rahman Junior, Zikriya Hayat, Rana Abdul Waheed Ashraf, Arshad Liaquat.Team Management: Head Coach Shahnaz Sheikh, Coach Shakil Abbasi, Assistant Coach Olympian Dilawar Hussain, Goalkeeper Coach Amjad Ali, Physiotherapist Waqas Mahmood, and Physical Trainer Mohammad Imran Khan.

Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) invited 49 players from different departments for the training camp, which will start on December 28, 2023, here at Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium under the control of Head Coach Sahnaz Sheikh.According to the media department of PHF, president PHF Mir Tariq Bugti had advised players to report to the camp commandant on Thursday. The final selected team will participate in the Paris Olympics Qualifier, which will take place in Muscat, Oman from January 15 to 21.  Pakistan Hockey Team Management includes Manager/Head Coach Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh, Coach Olympian Dilawar Hussain, Olympian Shakeel Abbasi Consultant, Goalkeeper Coach Ghulam Jilani Amjad Ali, Physiotherapist Waqas Mehmood, Physical Trainer Imran Khan.Names of invited players (49):Akmal Hussain (WAPDA), Abdullah Ishtiaq Khan (Mari Petroleum), Waqar (WAPDA), Muneebur Rahman (Punjab), Mohammad Abdullah (Mari Petroleum), Rana Abdul Waheed (WAPDA), Roman (WAPDA), Ahmed Nadeem (Punjab), Abdul Rahman (PAF), Junaid Manzoor (National Bank), Osama Bashir (PAF), Afraz (Mari Petroleum), Imad Shakeel Butt (National Bank), Rizwan Ali (PAF), Moeen Shakeel (WAPDA), Abubakar Mahmood (National Bank), Hammad Anjum (WAPDA), Salman Razzak (WAPDA), Mohammad Sufyan Khan (Mari Petroleum), Arbaaz Ahmed (Mari Petroleum), Abdul Manan (Customs), Ehtisham Aslam (Mari Petroleum), Murtaza Yaqub ( WAPDA), Aqeel Ahmad (WAPDA), Ghazanfar Ali (Customs), Zakaria Hayat (Navy), Arshad Liaquat (Mari Petroleum), Abdul Hanan Shahid (WAPDA), Abdul Rehman (WAPDA), Mohammad Imad (Customs), Umar Mustafa (Mari Petroleum), Mohammad Faizan Janjua (Customs), Mohammad Taimur Javed (Punjab), Amjad Ali (Punjab), Danish (Punjab), Asad (Balochistan), Imran (Balochistan), Qazi Anas (Balochistan), Younis (Balochistan), Zahidullah (WAPDA), Jibran Hamza (KPK), Nadeem Khan (KPK), Adeel Latif (Customs), Basharat Ali (Navy), Shahzeb Khan (Customs), Obaidullah Bhutto (WAPDA), Zubair Goalkeeper (Army), Hamza Fayyaz (Customs), Abdul Wajid (Balochistan).

LAHORE (Press Release): The newly appointed president, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti has restored the former national hockey selection committee, which was working under the chairmanship of Olympian Kaleemullah.According to the press release of PHF, Tariq Bugti also brought back hockey team management, led by Head Coach Shahnaz Sheikh. Instructions have been issued to PHF Executive Secretary Ali Abbas to take charge of his responsibilities, and Olympian Khalid Bashir has been appointed as the Director Administration.PHF President Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti has wasted no time in making major decisions as he takes charge at the PHF headquarters. The national hockey selection committee, as documented in the records of the Pakistan Sports Board, has been reinstated. The selection committee was working under the leadership of Olympian Kaleemullah Khan, includes Olympians Naseer Ali, Rahim Khan, and Leek Lashari International.President PHF Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti has also reinstated the national senior hockey team management. Under Head Coach Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh, the senior national hockey team management includes Olympian Shakeel Abbasi, Olympian Dilawar Hussain, and Amjad Ali International as the goalkeeper coach. Physical trainer Mohammad Imran will fulfill his responsibilities, while the appointment of a video analyst will be decided later.PHF President Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti has issued immediate instructions to PHF Executive Secretary Ali Abbas to take charge of his responsibilities at the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Additionally, renowned penalty corner specialist Olympian Khalid Bashir has been assigned the responsibilities of Director Administration and Coordination PHF.

Abdul Jabbar FaisalISLAMABAD: “I am still president of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), and I will pursue to court against the illegal and unconstitutional act of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who imposed the ad-hoc on the hockey federation without any solid reason. I am elected president, and I will raise my voice at all national and international forums, including the International Hockey Federation (FIH), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Khalid Sajjad Khokhar said this while addressing a press conference here at his residence in F-11/4 on Saturday flanked by Akhlaq Usmani and Asif Naz Khokhar.Sajjad Khokhar further said that an unconstitutional person occupied the PHF office in Lahore today (Saturday) along with some gunmen. “Unfortunately, owing to the wrong briefing, the PM took an illegal action, as I and my team had put the national game hockey on track. I spent millions of rupees from my pocket to facilitate the players and sent them abroad for international competitions. After the completion of the tenure of a president PHF, the Prime Minister has powers to nominate any person to run the affairs of the federation for the next term, “he elaborated.Responding to a question, Khalid Sajjad Khokhar said that he was avoiding any conflict with anyone. “I have a right to pursue court for my respect and I will knock on the doors of courts for justice. There is no legal position of ad-hoc. Some people are deliberately trying to destroy national game hockey, and the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) misleads the high-ups regarding the hockey federation, as all affairs of the federation were running smoothly. Unconstitutional steps will hurt all sports. Annual grants are also not disbursing on merit and unknown federations get in millions while national game hockey gets a peanut, who brought laurels for the country. Chess federation receives Rs.40 million while Tenpin pockets 10 million from the government, ‘ex-army man Brig (Retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar concluded.