The Pakistan Hockey team arrived in Malaysia for the Asian Champions Trophy sans their captain, who was left behind citing passport problems. It is said that captain Muhammad Irfan had submitted his passport at the British embassy, which authorities said they could not return in time. Sources said Irfan paid several visits to the embassy for retrieval of the required documents but no timely steps were taken which is why the team had to leave for the tournament without the captain.
Secretary of Pakistan Hockey Federation, Shahbaz Senior stated that a substitute would be added to replace Irfan if the issue isn't resolved by Wednesday. He added that team management was responsible to replace Irfan with another captain for the tournament. The team's first match will open on Thursday against host team Malaysia.
