National players in financial trouble

Hockey Olympian Iftikhar Ahmed

Hockey has been in decline in the country for the last two decades due to which its players are also in dire straits. In the 70's and 80's he participated in many important tournaments for Pakistan and showed outstanding performance. In the final match of the 1972 Munich Olympics, the Pakistan hockey team faced the West German team in which the German team was the winner due to the controversial decisions of the referee. Pakistani players reacted strongly to the ban on 11 national team players from participating in international matches, including Iftikhar Ahmed. Many of these players have been ignored by the Pakistan Hockey Federation since the incident. Iftikhar Ahmed also got a chance to play very little due to which he had to retire early. After saying goodbye to hockey, he got into financial difficulties. These days, he is seen sewing people's shoes and slippers on a street in Abbottabad with the help of the hands with which he used to hold hockey and cause trouble for the opposite teams.

Former Hockey Olympian Zahid Sharif

Zahid Sharif is also one of the players of Pakistan Hockey who made the name of the country with his game but when he fell down he was forced to sell his medals. Playing for the National Hockey Team A few months ago, when Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister, former Olympian Zahid Sharif, who received awards, had appealed to him that he was suffering from heart disease and was unemployed. He wanted to sell his medals and do business. Zahid Sharif played center forward and left in his position in 73 national and international matches from 1987 to 1991. Zahid Sharif competed in the Champions Trophy, World Cup, Olympics and Asian Games. He performed exceptionally well in the 1989 Junior Hockey World Cup in Canada. He played a significant role in helping Pakistan win a silver medal in the 1988 Champions Trophy. Participated in the Indar Gandhi Gold Cup Hockey Tournament held in India in 1989. He had an angry temper and was banned from playing all types of hockey by the Pakistan Hockey Federation for six months for misbehaving with the referee during a match. After retiring from sports in 1991, he continued to serve as Deputy Station Manager at Allama Iqbal Airport in Lahore. In February 2015, the Anti-Drug Force arrested him while grabbing a passenger's bag full of drugs, after which he lost his job. He has played a victorious role in all the international matches played by the national hockey team. In the country where Zahid Sharif made strenuous efforts to raise the flag, no one appreciated him. He had to announce through the media that he wanted to sell his dozens of international medals, including the World Cup, Champions Tournament trophies, the Olympics and the Asia Cup, but at his request. Neither side extended a helping hand.

Footballer Ghulam Sarwar Teddy

The game of football in Pakistan has come to an end at the international level, only regional matches are being held. Ghulam Sarwar Teddy is one of the famous footballers of the national football team. He captained the national football team from 1976 to 1978. Today he is working as a coach in Sindh Sports Board from where he is getting a monthly salary of Rs. 7000. He was part of the national airlines football team and played as a midfielder, earning a decent living. After his retirement in 1998, all the money he got from the provident fund was spent at home, now he gets only Rs 7,000 pension from there. With the money received from both sides, he is supporting his family as well as the children of his two late brothers, due to which he is facing immense financial difficulties. From 1969 to 1985. He participated in tournaments organized by Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Turkey, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. In 1970, when Sardar Dawood was the ruler of Afghanistan, he twice participated in the World Cup in connection with the Kabul celebrations, but today he is facing financial difficulties. They have four sons but they are all unemployed.