Pakistan hockey skipper Ammad denied UK visa

Staff Report

LAHORE: Pakistan hockey captain Ammad Shakil Butt has been denied a United Kingdom visa and will not travel with the national team to England for the remaining four matches of the FIH Pro Lea­gue, scheduled from June 23 to 27. The visa of head coach Manzoor-ul-Hasan Senior has also yet to be issued. Pakistan are currently in Belgium for the penultimate leg of the league, where they are facing Belgium and Spain. They have lost three of their first four matches. According to media reports, Ammad’s visa refusal is most likely linked to an alleged overstay in England during 2022-23. They said his club in England had assured him that his visa would be extended, but the process could not be completed and his stay exceeded the legal six-month limit. Sources added that Ammad had subsequently applied for asylum in the UK, but his application was unsuccessful. They said the PHF had made efforts to secure the captain’s visa but failed to obtain clearance. Ammad is expected to return home within the next few days. Pakistan are due to face arch-rivals India and hosts England in the final leg of the Pro League. The PHF was not overly concerned about Ammad’s absence from the England leg, citing team’s poor results. However, they added the federation was worried about the negative image created by the visa refusal. Meanwhile, if Manzoor also fails to obtain a visa, PHF Director High Performance Tahir Zaman could take charge of the team’s coaching duties in England. Tahir has already travelled to Belgium to observe the ongoing Pro League matches.

During Pakistan’s tour of Australia, Ammad and several players opposed Tahir’s appointment as head coach. Tahir subsequently stepped down despite being offered to continue by Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani. Tahir had sought the removal of Ammad and a number of players who had backed the captain. He was later appointed Director High Performance, a move that reportedly drew criticism from Ammad. According to media reports, Ammad had approached a couple of federal ministers in an effort to facilitate the issuance of his UK visa, but received no positive response.