The Hockey Players Welfare Association demanded the withdrawal of bans on its president Russell Khan Bappi and general secretary Ariful Haque Prince but apologised for any misunderstanding they had with national coach Naveed Alam.
The Bangladesh Hockey Federation on Tuesday handed a life ban on Bappi and suspended Prince for 10 years for what it said creating disturbance in the national camp and assaulting coach Naveed
A few other players were also banned for five years for the same offence.
‘We are surprised by the punishment,’ the association said in a statement. ‘We do not have any conflict with the coach. So there is no question of assaulting
him. Still if there is any misunderstanding, we apologise for it.’
In a separate statement, 12 hockey playing clubs, including Mohammedan Sporting Club and Dhaka Mariner Youngs, demanded the same and condemned the federation for the harsh decision.
Ashikuzzaman, a former national team player, who is currently playing for Sonali Bank, personally appealed to the BHF president Air Marshal Enamul Bari to reconsider his five-year suspension
The BHF, however, seemed unrelenting and was preparing to file a case against the banned players, including Bappi, Prince and Ashik, with the Paltan police station when this report was filed.
-With New Age input
