Mumbai, Oct 24 (NationPress) The International Hockey Federation (FIH) is set to reveal a new team to take the place of Pakistan in the Men's Junior World Cup, scheduled to occur in Tamil Nadu starting November 28. The Pakistan Hockey Federation has informed the FIH that its team will not be making the trip to India to take part in this significant event due to advice from the government.

"We can confirm that the Pakistan Hockey Federation has notified the International Hockey Federation (FIH) that its team, originally qualified for the upcoming FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Tamil Nadu 2025, will not participate. The team that will replace Pakistan will be announced shortly," the FIH stated to IANS on Friday.

This late withdrawal puts the FIH in a difficult position, having delayed the draw for the tournament to be held in Chennai and Madurai for nearly a month, allowing Pakistan time to deliberate with its government regarding participation. The FIH proceeded with the draw ceremony, typically hosted in the host city, at its headquarters in Lausanne.

The late substitution not only introduces a lower-ranked team into the draw but also a team that is not fully prepared for such a prestigious event in the junior category.

Reports indicate that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) opted to withdraw its team after consulting with its government and has sent an official notification to the FIH, which will subsequently inform Hockey India.

This marks the second event in India that Pakistan has withdrawn from, following the Men's Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar.

Pakistan was initially placed in Group B alongside India, Chile, and Switzerland. The replacement team will fill the spot in Group B and will be selected from the standby teams according to their rankings.

A senior official from the PHF stated that the decision was made after discussions with the Pakistan government.

“We consulted with the government and Pakistan Sports Board, who advised us that given the current political situation, sending the team to India for the Junior World Cup would pose a significant security risk,” the official from the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) commented.

The official confirmed that the FIH has been informed of this decision, which will be relayed to Hockey India, as per the report.

Pakistan had also withdrawn from the Asia Cup tournament in August, where they were replaced by Bangladesh. Their withdrawal cost them a spot in next year's World Cup, as the event served as a qualifying round for this major tournament.