'PKR 11,000 daily allowance': Pay dispute rocks Pakistan hockey
Pakistan's senior hockey players are threatening to boycott the upcoming FIH Pro League phase due to a payment dispute. Players allege they received significantly less daily allowance than promised for matches played in Argentina. The Pakistan Hockey Federation cites the Pakistan Sports Board's USD 40 daily allowance policy as the reason for the discrepancy.
Representative image
A payment issue has emerged in Pakistan hockey, with some senior players threatening to boycott the men’s FIH Pro League second phase in February. The players allege that they were not paid the full daily allowances for matches played earlier this month.At least two members of the national men’s team said a message has been sent to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), stating that several players will not be available for the FIH Pro League if the issue is not resolved before the next phase, news agency PTI reported."We were assured we would be paid 30,000 rupees daily allowance for the duration of the Pro League event in Argentina earlier this month. Last week we got the daily allowances in our accounts but at the rate of just 11,000 (Pakistani) rupees which is a sham," one player said, as cited by the news agency PTI."If you look at the exchange rates 30,000 means around 110 dollars while 11,000 is just 40 dollars which is a huge difference to us," he added.Pakistan played four matches in the FIH Pro League in Argentina earlier this month and lost all four. The team is scheduled to play four more matches in Australia in February.The PHF has informed the players that the daily allowances for players and officials were paid by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), which follows a policy of providing a daily allowance of USD 40 to athletes travelling abroad for competitions.
"The PHF policy is to pay players 30,000 daily allowance but since the PSB is funding the entire expenses of the team for the two phases of the Pro League Hockey we can’t do much in this matter," PHF secretary Rana Mujahid said, as quoted by PTI.He added that after government approval, funds were released for participation in the FIH Pro League and that the PSB also covered the team’s travel tickets, hotel costs and daily allowances.Pakistan earned promotion to the FIH Pro League after finishing runners-up in the Hockey Nations Cup held in Malaysia earlier this year. New Zealand, who beat Pakistan in the final, were unable to join the FIH Pro League.Under FIH rules, the invitation was extended to the runners-up Pakistan, who confirmed their participation in the competition.