Nadeem Omar was casually flipping through the television channels last week when a news break caught his attention. Pakistan’s hockey team, the report said, was on the verge of withdrawing from the Champions Trophy for lack of funds.

The cash-strapped Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) had decided the team will travel to India in a bus and reach Bhubaneswar a couple of days before the tournament begins. They also decided not to play practice matches which will allow them to spend a couple of days less in the hotel.

A rebellion was brewing within the team and this was seen as the tipping point. The PHF’s lack of ability to generate enough funds for the team’s travel infuriated the players. They decided to boycott the tournament. Federation secretary Rana Mujahid tried to pacify the players but he too had given up hopes.

Just when one thought the elite eight-nation tournament would feature one team less, a guardian angel of sorts emerged for them. Omar, a well-known name in Pakistan’s sporting — cricket to be specific — circles informed the PHF he would bear the entire cost of the team’s travel and stay. “I was watching the news about the Pakistan team and felt it would be highly unfair if the players did not get an opportunity to play in the Champions Trophy,” Omar told The Indian Express from Karachi.

Omar, 56, deals in minerals. He exports talc but insists his main interest is cricket. His team Omar Associates has a few international players, including Sarfaraz Ahmed and Anwar Ali, on its roster. Omar also claims that Shahid Afridi and Danish Kaneria, among other big players, have played for his team in the past.

“Hockey has gone off the radar in Pakistan. I had played the game in school, like most Pakistanis. I just felt it was necessary to send the team for the Champions Trophy and along with former Sindh governor Ishrat ul Ebad, did our bit. Also, they’re playing in India. It will generate some interest back home as well,” Omar said, without divulging the amount he has spent on the team.

Difficult period

It’s been that kind of a period for Pakistani hockey. They were forced to pull out of the Sultan Azlan Cup and apart from the Asian Games, have not played a single international match due to cash crunch. And the situation has only worsened.

Mujahid said given the current situation in Pakistan, sport has taken a backseat. The PHF has been asking for an annual grant of $50,00,000 from the government for the last two years but haven’t received a penny. Consequently, the players haven’t been paid their salaries. After winning the Asian Games silver medal, the players were financially rewarded by Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif. However, the cheques bounced and players were left empty handed.

Mujahid empathized with the players, having been in a similar situation himself. Back in 1996, he had led a players’ revolt ahead of the Atlanta Games protesting the federation’s policies. Now, wearing the administrators’ hat, he claims to have tried his best. “Prime minister Nawaz Sharif has promised us a few things. He is a hockey fan himself. But such are the circumstances here that sport isn’t the top priority at the moment,” Mujahid said.

Amidst all this, their team, led by veteran Muhammad Imran, will land in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday evening. They’ll be the last of the eight teams to arrive and are ‘hoping’ to play Argentina on Wednesday to get a feel of the playing conditions. Understandably, they come here with muted expectations. But then, they are just happy to be here. “Result is secondary. These are extra-ordinary circumstances and we are just happy that the team is participating,” Omar said.