Rivalries in sport are so important. As they add that little extra ingredient to the game. Importantly they also generate interest from fans who support other teams; as they too get drawn into the contest.
While the supporters of one or the other of the teams in an intense rivalry are only focussed on victory, and often revel in the demise of that rival, they soon realise how important they are to each other. It is nice to beat an old rival easily now and again, but the edge goes off the game when they are comfortably beaten in every match. This is when supporters realise that they actually need their arch-rival to be competitive. There is no great enjoyment beating a weakened side every time you meet; although there will always be some enjoyment.
In International sport one of the greatest rivalries would have to be in cricket whenever England and Australia meet. Next year they will celebrate the 150th anniversary of that first meeting.
While Australian’s may see their arch-rival in rugby Union being the All Blacks from New Zealand, the New Zealanders see South Africa as their main rival. Both teams having been so dominant in the sport for long periods of time, and the Springboks going 50 years (1906-1956) without losing a Test series added to that rivalry before they were suspended due to apartheid.
In football there are many great rivalries, Brazil v Uruguay stems back to the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, which the hosts Brazil were convinced they were going to win. Uruguay had other ideas, and a mistake by goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa saw Uruguay lift the Jules Rimet Trophy. Barbosa, was known for the rest of his life as “the man who made a nation cry.”
Scotland love nothing more than to beat the English, while the Dutch revel in victory over Germany. There are stories behind nearly all of these rivalries, they do not always come down to just geography.
When it comes to Field Hockey there is probably no greater rivalry than that of India and Pakistan.
Before the two became seperate nations in 1947 at the Olympic Games India had won every Hockey gold medal since they first entered the Olympic Games in 1928. In that first Games appearance they scored 29 goals and did not concede any. Four years later they scored 35 and conceded two. In 1936 it was more of the same as they scored 38 goals and conceded just one, in the final.
After the second World War and also after the partition of India and Pakistan, India would claim another three consecutive Olympic Gold medals.
There were many in the newly formed Pakistan who felt that it was players from their nation who had aided India to achieve success in those earlier victories. So they had a point to prove.
In their first Olympic Games in 1948 only a year after becoming an independent nation, Pakistan missed out on a medal after drawing with the Netherlands 1-1 after extra time in the Bronze medal match, and then losing the replay the following day 1-4. They were fourth again in 1952 losing to Great Britain 1-2.
In 1956 in Melbourne they finally made the gold medal match, but went down 0-1 to India.
Four years later they would be the first team to stop India’s run at the Olympic Games at six consecutive gold medals. After a period of 32 years there was a new Olympic Champion in Pakistan.
India would win their last Olympic gold medal in 1980 while Pakistan would win their last gold medal in 1984.
When it comes to Olympic gold medals India has eight. Pakistan sit second with the Netherlands, Great Britain and Germany with three. In terms of overall Olympic medals won in men’s hockey they sit fourth behind India (13) Netherlands (10) and Great Britain (9) with eight medals.
Since Pakistan’s victory in 1984 they won bronze in 1992, while India had to wait until 2020 and 2024 to claim two bronze medals.
The Hockey World Cup has been recognised as being first conceived by Pakistan’s Air Marshal Nur Khan. He proposed his idea to the FIH through Patrick Rowley the editor of the World Hockey magazine. The first event took place in 1971 in Barcelona, and Pakistan won.
India would win their sole Hockey World Cup in 1975. Pakistan would claim three more victories in 1978, 1982 and 1994. Pakistan’s four victories make them the most successful World Cup side.
Since that time neither side has contested the final or the bronze medal match.
The demise of Indian and Pakistan hockey has been debated long and hard over the years, there can be no denying that the advent of artificial turf, and the cost of installing such pitches in their homelands played a huge part. Also, to some extent the rules of the game, or rather the interpretation of the rules, played their part as the physicality within the sport that was now being allowed worked against the Asian nations.
Unfortunately we could not access the World Rankings at that time but going back to 2003 which was the furthest back we could locate, there were four Asian teams in the top 10 in the world. Today there is only one. In 2006 there were five Asian teams in the top 15, today there are three.
India has qualified for every World Cup competition, but failed to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games. Pakistan has failed to qualify for the last three Olympic Games. They have in recent times failed to qualify for the World Cup in 2014 and 2023 but happily have just qualified for the 2026 World Cup.
To have these two nations not playing at the most important tournaments that the sport holds is like South Africa and New Zealand not playing in a Rugby World Cup, or Brazil not being in the football World Cup.
When India failed to qualify for the Beijing Olympics there were ramifications. No one was interested in purchasing the Hockey coverage at the Olympic Games. The IOC would lose money without that revenue. It became clear how important India were to the sport. The International Hockey Federation were quick to react. However, Hockey was at risk. The IOC was reviewing its 26 core sports and were planning to drop one to make room for a new entry. The sports under threat were Wrestling, Taekwondo, Canoeing and Field Hockey.
During the voting process, hockey was at significant risk, and only after surviving a tie-break round against Taekwondo and Canoeing remained in the Olympic Games. Wrestling lost their place, but were later reinstated.
International Hockey President at the time Leandro Negre was quoted in the Wall Street Journal as describing the vote to be a “rude shock” and a “wake-up call.” He noted that some IOC members viewed the sport as too focused on Commonwealth nations despite its global reach.
Hence why some are concerned now that the Commonwealth Games has dropped Hockey, where will that leave it after the Los Angeles Olympic Games?
Els van Breda Vriesman was was President of the FIH when it was clear that India was not going to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2008. She was the first and only female President of the FIH.
Ms Breda Vriesman and her board at the time recognised that India and Pakistan were falling away from the standards they had once set. Not only that, they were aware that at the time both organisations were being poorly run, they had weak national competitions and lacked leadership to lift them out of the doldrums.
A Strategic Plan was put in place to help restore the two nations to the levels they and the world expected. Europe needed Asian teams to be competitive. The sport as a whole desperately needed, and still needs Asian teams to be strong.
Leandro Negre replaced Ms Breda Vriesman as President of the FIH in 2008 and it was under his leadership that the Executive Board implemented the strategic plan.
The goals of the Strategic Plan were as follows:
- Establish a strong and professional association
- To find a Good leader
- To award the organisation Hockey Competitions
- To allow participation at the Champions Trophy
- To help find good coaches for their National teams.
Former President Leandro Negre who succeeded Ms Breda Vriesman recalled that the FIH “wished to help both nations, but assistance was limited when it came to Pakistan due to national instability and fears of terrorism. Many countries at that time were not allowed by their own Government’s to travel to Pakistan and compete.” So assistance was limited, however they tried to assist in terms of finding quality coaches.. They also offered Pakistan wild card entry to the Champions Trophy.
India was however a completely different situation.
One of the things that they did was to recognise a new National Association, Hockey India instead of the Indian Hockey Federation, (IHF) and this was made easier as the IHF would not accept a merge between the men’s and women’s game.
Narinder Batra would head up Hockey India. This was similar to many political leaders across the world who historically, were supported or given power by European nations to maintain stability or counter opposing ideologies. Mr Batra was seen as being a key person to solve the legal challenges that would ensue from the IHF and it’s President KPS Gill no longer being the official National Association. It is fait to say that he navigated these troubled waters superbly and made Hockey India what it is today.
It is worth noting that the FIH had a little legal juggling of their own to navigate as their own statutes state, “In accordance with the Olympic Charter, membership of the FIH is open to one National Association (or “NA”) for each Country.” Section 2.4. Applications for membership and transfers of membership in the statutes covers what is and isn’t allowed and who has the power to make such a call. At the FIH Congress held in Los Angeles in 2008, the IHF was suspended and the Hockey India was approved as a new member
The FIH also awarded New Delhi the hosting rights for 2010 Hockey World Cup to India. The event however was fully organised by the FIH, as according to Mr Negre “Hockey India at that time did not have the expertise on its staff to be able to run such an event.”
The Hockey India League was also created, and this was to some extent a gamechanger. The FIH were fully supportive of the league, and initially it was a great success as it attracted the best players in the World who were paid a decent wage. Unfortunately, a lack of promotion saw the viewing figures drop and after five years it ceased, only to be regenerated two years ago. (No HIL Equals Hockey in Limbo)
The final part of the plan was to assist India in finding World Class coaches who would build on the work done by the coaches in the HIL and help lift the National team back to where it was. Jose Brasa was the first, and was followed by the likes of Ric Charlesworth, Michael Nobbs, Terry Walsh and Paul van Ass. All were paid by the Sports Authority of India.
The Board of the FIH and its President Els van Breda Vriesman at that time did a wonderful job putting in place a plan that would not only help India, but the game itself. The work of Narinder Batra at this time should also be acknowledged as he was the driving force in India.
It has been claimed that the introduction of quarter finals at the Olympic Games were introduced to assist India in once again making it to the podium at the Olympic Games. Whether it was or it wasn’t, they have achieved that goal with India winning bronze medals in both Tokyo and Paris. This achievement was clearly linked to the work that was done during this time. The test will be in the coming Olympic Games to see if the continuity is there and the foundations that were laid have been underpinned.
Sadly a similar plan was not implemented in Pakistan for the reasons mentioned. Unfortunately their hockey has lurched from one crisis to another.
They were accepted into the FIH’s ambitious global league, the FIH Pro League. Where the money was going to come from no one knew. Whether a proper evaluation was done on the viability of their inclusion is questionable. The feeling was very much that the Pro League needed them, and their rivalry with India and that was why they were chosen. It was announced that they would play their games in Scotland, but when the deadline for this agreement passed warning bells sounded and Pakistan withdrew once the League had started, and without playing a game.
The contracts signed by the participating nations in the FIH Pro League stated that withdrawal would result in a two-year suspension from International Hockey. Pakistan did not suffer such a penalty. Instead the Pakistan Hockey Federation received an undisclosed fine of which half was “to be invested by PHF in youth development and/or grassroots development activities in Pakistan within the next two years; these development funds will be monitored by the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) and reported to FIH with documentary evidence,” (Is The Pro League Heading in The Right Direction?)
“The other half shall be paid to FIH in three installments until July 2020; in case the first installment is not paid until 19 August 2019, Pakistan may not enter the FIH Olympic qualifiers for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020,” the statement from the FIH advised. Presumably all of these conditions were complied with, although there was no public confirmation from the AHF or the FIH.
With the Champions Trophy being brought to an end in 2018, and Pro League sides not permitted to play against each other outside of the league, teams like Pakistan had limited opportunities to play against the top tier sides. When the new World ranking system came in the top sides were even less willing to play teams like Pakistan for fear that they could lose World Ranking points. The gulf widened between those in the top eight and those outside of that select group.
Since the start of the Pro League Pakistan has not qualified for a World Cup Finals or the Olympic Games until the past week. Realistically, even though the players and coaching staff have shown remarkable determination, passion and resolve to qualify for the World Cup, most will know that they are still a long way off being a challenger to win the World Cup for a fifth time.
There has frequently been unwanted publicity surrounding Pakistan player payments, and in 2024 three players from the national hockey team and their physiotherapist, who had travelled to Poland with the team, did not return to Pakistan. It was reported that these individuals had applied for political asylum abroad. They were banned from playing for Pakistan for life.
Next year they will be eligible to play for Poland as the FIH rules on a player changing nationality state that they are eligible to play “three years from the date he last represented the original country and without the prior written approval of the Executive Board.”
There was more unwanted publicity for the Pakistan team in Australia as the accommodation had allegedly not been pre-paid and the players and coaches had no where to stay. It was also reported that when they did find somewhere they had to cook their own meals and wash the dishes and slept three to a room.
Not surprisingly no one from Pakistan Hockey will comment on this situation at this point in time. As harmful as it is to Pakistan this type of medai coverage is also harmful to teh sport as a whole.
One thing that is clear is that Pakistan Hockey needs help. Does the Pakistan Hockey Federation need to be overhauled like the Indian Hockey Federation and a new national body created with a fresh approach and ideally a visionary at the helm?
Els van Breda Vriesman as President of the FIH recognised that things had to change if India, the most successful team in the game’s history was to once again be amongst the best. Credit must also be given to Narinder Batra for his time at the helm of Hockey India as he navigated legal issues and laid the foundations for a more efficient national association.
Leandro Negre took over as President from Els van Breda Vriesman and within days of his being elected travelled to Lahore to meet with the President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation and their Sports Authorities. He also met the President of the Pakistan Republic.
“Members of my Executive Board and FIH staff tried to convince me to change my travel plans, arguing that it was very dangerous for me, but I travelled,” He said. “I was fully protected by special army commandos and used an armoured car. My trip was welcomed by them, and it was importnat because the FIH could start to have an understanding of the challenges and make a commitment to help.”
According to sources within Pakistan Hockey the FIH has been helping the team with their second involvement in the FIH Pro League in 2025/26. When pressed as to what that commitment looked like we were advised that they could not comment. When we emailed the Director General of the FIH, Mike Joyce, we had received no reply at the time of publication despite waiting two weeks.
Most in the sport want to see Pakistan back to where they were, like India. Even many in India want to see their arch-rivals competitive again, and matches between the two closer affairs. So why the secrecy?
Once again when Leandro Negre was President of the FIH he travelled to Bangladesh – formerly East Pakistan. He was the first FIH President to travel there. He went with the CEO of STI – Sports, now Polytan and both witnessed how important hockey was within the country. They were taken to the main stadium in Dacca, which has a capacity of 40,000, and watched a match arranged for them. They also visited schools and watched boys and girls playing hockey.
Both saw the potential in Bangladesh. Polytan signed a contract at what was believed to be a heavily reduced rate to lay a new water-based artifical turf at the stadium, and also dontated some sand hockey pitches to the local schools. Since that time Bangladesh Hockey has improved, and so too have their results.
Pakistan needs similar help. No one can deny that, but will they receive it?
Understandably some countries still advise people not to travel to Pakistan, so arranging matches there is a problem. Even though some cricket teams have returned to play in Pakistan, would hockey teams?
As many sports lovers will be aware when Pakistan Cricket was unable to play matches at home, Sharjah in the UAE became their base. Could Pakistan Hockey play their “home” games in another country? Malaysia, for example may be a good option if the Malaysian Hockey Confederation was open to such an arrangement. Many of the Pakistan players play for teams in the Malaysian Hockey League so this would reduce the cost of flying them to another country to play.
With 63% of Malaysia being Muslim it would be a country in which Pakistan players should feel welcome and at ease.
With Malaysia’s form also having dropped off in recent times it may be the perfect marriage to see both nations rise again and reclaim their places amongst the top nations. Not only do noth countries need this, but so too does Asian Hockey.
What is vital is that International tournaments are held that they can attend if they qualify. Qualifying and then withdrawing as has been witnessed in the past is extremely damaging to any recovery Pakistan hope to make. The Executive Board are beholden to ensure that this does not happen. The Member nations of the FIH should en masse be demanding that this is the case.
Many, who are concerned about the state of Pakistan Hockey believe that other nations such as Korea, silver medallists at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000 will soon be another Asian country in need of help. Others feel that it is only a matter of time before the cost of participation in the Pro League becomes clear to some of the top nations. The current costs are unsustainable, and money is being taken from other areas to pay prop up participation costs.
If action is not taken soon not only is Olympic Participation once again under threat post 2032, but the game as a whole is facing a very tough future. At a time when World leadership is arguably at its lowest, hockey needs strong and visionary leadership to save the game from itself.
Actions speak louder than words. Els van Breda Vriesman, Leandro Negre and their Executive Board members saw what lay ahead and had a plan to make changes that would benefit the sport and Indian hockey. A similar approach is needed now for Pakistan. The warning signs are there that other nations too could soon need similar help.
