Umpire Urges NHF To Reposition Hockey

An international hockey umpire, Ahmed Bashar, has urged the Nigeria Hockey Federation (NHF) to draw up a well laid out programme to reposition the sport in the country.

Bashar said in an interview in Lagos that the slow pace of development in the federation was due to improper planning.

“The development of hockey is low, compared to what we used to have in the past. There are no activities in the federation now due to bad planning.

“There is no grassroots programme in place to promote the sport and it has brought a lot of gaps in the sport.

“What I have noticed is that the body does not have a good foresight in the game and this may also responsible for their lack of programmes.

“In short, the board of the federation lacked the zeal to uplift the dwindling fortunes in the game in the country,“ he said.

According to Bashar, efforts should be made by the federation to mobilise stakeholders and public-spirited Nigerians to develop a passion for hockey and help revive the sport.

“We have people who have played hockey in the past and represented the country in international competitions.

“The meeting should involve them and I believe they will assist the federation to reposition the body on the right track, for the task ahead,’’ he said.

The umpire noted that without an aggressive board, the fortunes of the game would continue to nosedive.