Impressive performance by Iranian junior hockey athletes in the AHF junior Cup in Hong Kong
The Iranian junior boys have shown a lot of improved and promising performance in the recently held AHF junior Cup in Hong Kong where they stunned the hosts, Hong Kong beating them by 3-1 in their first of the pool matches of the tournament. The Iranian
youngsters remained very impressive against Sri Lanka but the match ended in a draw at the score of 2-2. However, in their last pool match they defeated China by 2-1 in a very hard fought game.
Having finished at third place in the tournament, Iran has now qualified for next year’s Junior Asia Cup where they will be tested by the Asian hockey giants like Pakistan, South Korea and India and from there the Iranian can also qualify for the 2013 Junior
World Cup based on their performance in the junior Asia Cup hockey tournament. Earlier this year the Iranian side had shown a stunning performance in the FIH indoor World Cup hockey tournament, while with this performance in the AHF Junior Cup they also showed
that they are making great improvement in the outdoor sports as well.
The Iranian side included the following players in the AHF Junior Cup:
Mohammad Karimi (C), Navid Taherirad, Ali Mohebbi, Teymoor Yaghoubi, Ehsan Golestaninia, Alireza Chazanisharahi, Sajjad Mamizadeh, Hossein Shomali, Oveys Momenian, Mehran Alaghi, Shayan Bozorgzadeh, Mohammad Asnaashari, Ehsan Yousofvand, Amir Orouei, Behnam
Sadi, Mahdi Ansaripour, Vahid Fathi, Hamid Noraniyan.
Meanwhile, the seasoned trio of Pakistan national Men’s hockey side, Rehan Butt, Salman Akbar and the drag flicker Sohail Abbas, the world’s record holder of the most goals scored by any single player in the history of the game of hockey, may not be invited
in the list of the probable which is likely to be announced for the national training camp regarding the preparation for the first Asian Champions Trophy which is going to be held in China.
Asif Bajwa, the secretary of Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), stated that all of these three veteran players are being given rest to open a place for some junior athletes but according to some of the reports, two out of these experienced players – Rehan
Butt and Salman Akbar, the goalkeeper are being kept outside the squad due to the reason of some disciplinary matters reported by the team management during the recently concluded European tour. So, the PHF has decided not to select these players for the upcoming
first Asian Champions Trophy as a matter of warning and punishment.
However, despite of the severe criticism by some of the former Olympians on the senior players especially after the Greenshirts finished at the last place in the World Cup held in India, the PHF has been in the favour of senior players and want to retain
them till the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London, England, next year in the month of July.
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