LAHORE - Former international hockey player and tennis enthusiast Naseem Ahmed has strongly criticized the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) for its selection criteria for national team. Talking to The Nation, Naseem, a sportsman himself, expressed his dissatisfaction with the PTF’s decision-making process and accused the federation of bias in selecting players for the national team. The former international player raised concerns over the timing of the announcement of the ladies’ team for the Billie Jean Cup and Asian Games, which was made six months in advance, despite it being impossible to accurately assess the players’ form and physical fitness so far ahead. He emphasized that team announcements are typically made closer to the event to ensure that the selection is based on the latest information. Moreover, Naseem alleged that the PTF’s selection process was influenced by personal connections and favoritism towards certain players.
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He claimed that the daughter of senior PTF officials, Ushna Suhail, was selected for the team just because of her father’s influence, without any ranking and participating in the trials. Naseem further alleged that a trial match between Mehak and another player, Amna, who is a student of PTF’s development officer Asim Shafiq, was fixed to ensure both their entry into the team, and that Mehak quit the match citing fitness reasons in favor of the other player. Naseem called on the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination and the Pakistan Sports Board to investigate the matter and take strict action against those responsible for playing politics in the PTF. He urged for a more professional selection process that puts the interest of the national team first, rather than being influenced by personal connections and biases. In conclusion, Naseem highlighted the importance of ensuring transparency and fairness in the selection process to promote the growth of tennis in Pakistan and produce a team that is representative of the country’s talent and diversity.
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