Pakistan fine hockey star and officials for ‘hugging woman’

PAKISTAN’S parliament fined a national hockey player and two team officials for un-Islamic behaviour after photos surfaced of them hugging a female liaison officer at the Champions Challenge tournament in Argentina last month.

National field hockey team player Rehan Butt was fined 100,000 rupees (€815) while coach Shahid Ali Khan and manager Asif Bajwa were fined 50,000 rupees (€415) each, the chairman of the National Assembly’s standing committee on sports said.

“Islamic culture does not allow us to hug a lady and have alcohol,” committee chairman Jamshed Ahmed Dasti said. “The players are ambassadors of their country and they should remember this well.”