The Pakistan Hockey Federation has fined Olympian Shakeel Abbasi and forward Rehan Butt 1 million rupees ($10,100) each for participating in the World Hockey Series in India. Six other Pakistan players — Waseem Ahmed, Zeeshan Ashraf, Imran Warsi, Adnan Maqsood, Tariq Aziz and Mudassar Ali Khan — were fined 250,000 rupees ($2,700). The PHF said in a statement Tuesday that the World Hockey Series was an unsanctioned event and the players could not participate in it. The players were warned to pay the fines or they will be banned from national and international events for one year. They have seven days to appeal. Olympic contenders struggle Olympic hockey contenders are struggling to find that elusive winning formula at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, their last chance to tune up ahead of the London Games. Other than unbeaten New Zealand, the six London-bound sides in the annual Malaysian tournament have been inconsistent at best, but coaches expressed confidence that they can work out the kinks and find their best line-ups. Britain, India, Pakistan, South Korea, New Zealand and Argentina have all qualified for the Olympic hockey competition, which begins in July, while host Malaysia has not. But the play of the Olympic hopefuls has been a litany of missed chances, botched penalty corners and failure to execute game plans as they have sought to accustom themselves to the blue surface that will be also be used in London. “It is about learning to win matches and playing what you have been taught,” said India's Australian coach Michael Nobbs. Nobbs had ripped into his team last week after it was crushed by 5-1 by the Kiwis on opening day last week, calling his defence “awful”. The Indians are now joint second in the standings here along with Argentina, both having earned six points in four matches. “It is important that we put in practice what we have learned in training. Otherwise we face an uphill task against the bigger teams. In the Olympics you do not have the luxury of experimenting,” he said. Asian champion Pakistan also has been unpredictable in its matches, which included a 4-0 defeat at the hands of South Korea Monday that triggered calls for the return of players such as Shakeel Abbasi and Rehan Butt. The pair were not selected for London on disciplinary grounds. Pakistan coach Khawaja Muhammad Junaid said the results in the Malaysian city of Ipoh should not be used to predict Olympic chances, adding there is time to iron out the team's problems. “We are experimenting, and when this happens at times the results become the topic of debate,” he said. Jason Lee, the coach of Britain, the highest-ranked team in the field in Malaysia at world No. 4, also said teams should not be judged too harshly.
