NEW DELHI: Pakistan has withdrawn from the FIH Men’s Junior Hockey World Cup, set to be held in India from November 28 to December 28, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) confirmed to PTI on Friday.
The tournament is scheduled to take place in Chennai and Madurai, and FIH said Pakistan’s replacement team will be announced shortly.
“We can confirm that the Pakistan Hockey Federation has notified the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that its team, which had initially qualified for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025, won’t participate eventually,” the federation said in a statement.
“The team replacing Pakistan for this event will be announced soon,” it added.
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Pakistan were placed in Group B, alongside India, Chile, and Switzerland, and it remains to be seen which team will now fill the vacant slot.
This marks the second major event in India that Pakistan has withdrawn from this year, following their absence from the Men’s Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar, held from August 29 to September 7.
Sporting ties between India and Pakistan have further deteriorated since the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack and India’s retaliatory Operation Sindoor. The Indian government has since implemented a new policy barring bilateral sporting contests with Pakistan, although encounters in multi-nation tournaments will continue.
During the recent Asia Cup, tensions were visible on the field when India captain Suryakumar Yadav reportedly declined to shake hands with his Pakistan counterpart after the match.
Hockey India Unaware of Pakistan’s Withdrawal
Hockey India (HI), meanwhile, said it has not received any official communication from the FIH regarding Pakistan’s pullout.
“We have no information from FIH that Pakistan has withdrawn. I spoke with Pakistan Hockey Federation officials about a month and a half ago, and they had confirmed their participation,” said HI Secretary General Bholanath Singh.
“What transpired after that, I have no knowledge of. Our responsibility is to host a successful tournament and hope India wins the title. It is now up to FIH to announce a replacement for Pakistan,” he added.
PHF Seeks Neutral Venue Option
In contrast, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) claimed it is willing to play the tournament at a neutral venue.
PHF Secretary General Rana Mujahid said in Lahore that the decision not to travel to India was taken due to current political tensions, and the stance has been communicated to FIH.
“We have, at the same time, urged FIH to arrange a neutral venue so that our players can still participate. Missing major tournaments held in India is hurting our hockey and affecting the development of our young players,” Mujahid said.
He added, “We have told FIH — how can we play in India when their athletes are unwilling to even shake hands at neutral venues? FIH has said the events were awarded to India well before the conflict, so this situation wasn’t anticipated.”
