Why we "hockey Lovers" always suffer?

When i am adding this new entry in my blogs , i am filled with feeling of happiness as well as sorrow.
I am happy because Pakistani hockey team reaches final of any big tournament (ASIA CUP 2009) after very long period of time. We , as Pakistani hockey fans, are now so used to losing matches that news of winning matches really astonishes us.

I still remember my days of childhood , when green shirts only loose to teams like Australia and West Germany and i usually go for hunger as sorrow. But now when green shirts loose their matches against minnows like China & Belgium , i still hear the news with courage . Internally , probably i have accepted the fact that in world of hockey we have completely lost our glory...

Anyhow, at least today i am glad.. Team has performed well so far in this tournament and we did not loose a single match till now ( except we drew against china in first match).

Beating India and Malaysia are really good signs...

Now returning to my sorrow. I am sad because i missed the action. I was expecting that any sports channel ( from India/ Pakistan/ Korea/ Malaysia) will telecast these matches , but was shocked to hear the news that "NO" channel in this modern world will telecast the live or recorded action from this biggest tournament of Asian hockey.
It is so surprising to hear that even Malaysian fans misses live action from their national team matches.

This happened because MHF sold the exclusive telecast rights of tournament to an internet based company and this company and its website till today , not able to telecast any live match till now.Even no important match video available in its so called store and video in demand and Live TV.


Thousands of lovers visited this website, but so sad that no one of them could see either live or recorded telecast of any important match.

You can also visit this website and search for any recording of any important match like INDIA-PAKISTAN , but you will not be able to find any one.

This is most pathetic attitude shown by MHF towards any tournament. I would blame not only MHF , but also blame AHF and eventually IHF , which claims to work for making hockey a popular and famous game.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE ANY SPORTS A POPULAR SPORTS WITHOUT TELE-COVERAGE nowadays.

Then comes role of our INDO-PAK TV channels. We have plenty of world renowned channels in sub-continent including PTV, GEO SUPER, ARY, GEO from pakistan and ZEE TV, ZEE SPORTS, DOORDARSHAN,NEO SOPRTS, TENSOPRTS, ESPN), but can you believe me these channels can telecast live matches from IPL or between Srilanka/Westindies five days test matches but can not telecast final match of ASIA cup hockey or Azlan shah hockey tournament or Champions Trophy.

Now turn on any sports channel of subcontinent and you will enjoy every sort of cricket matches... from test matches to T20 matches.I am not against cricket, but i would like to say that every sports should be given its right place.

My Indian hockey loving fellows will also agree that although India has been ruler of hockey for long time and hockey is "still " their "National Game" , but hockey is being treated as step child in last 10-15 years in india as well ( just like in our country ).

I dont know , why Governments of India/Pakistan still maintain hockey as "National Sports" after this pathetic treatment..They should make Cricket or Tennis as their national sports ...Keeping any sports as so called " national sports " and then killing even roots of that sports makes no sense.

Some people would say , it is because we are not winning on green fields for long time.. that's why people are loosing interest in hockey matches?We don't have enough sponsors to telecast matches..

But this argument is not acceptable for me . India won , only one time cricket world cup more than 15 years ago and Pakistan won only one world cricket cup in 1992 and that's it...since then both India and Pakistan continue to loose cricket matches. Ok they win also , but same happened in hockey as well. Sometimes we won and sometime we loose. On the other hand at least our hockey history is strong; Pakistan is four time world champion and four time olympic champion in hockey and similarly India has won olympic hockey 4,5 times as well.

I would say it is just poor marketing strategy of IHF and AHF , due to which this glorious game of hockey is being neglected.Similarly in our subcontinent , it is just internal politics due to which we "hockey lovers" always suffer...either sometimes by hearing news of loosing against Japan or sometimes sitting in front of our TV sets in a hope to see any single hockey match "Live " or "Recorded".