Centurion - Despite qualifying for the FIH Hockey Men’s Pro League next season, the South African Hockey Association (Saha) on Tuesday confirmed the decision to withdraw from the competition.
SA won the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Potchefstroom last year, which automatically qualified the team for this year’s Hockey Men’s Pro League.
Saha, though, said it plans to join the league in the future, provided their teams, women or men, qualify for it on the field of play. The reason for the withdrawal by Saha is unclear at this stage, while SA players say they were not consulted before the decision was made.
SA player Keenan Horne voiced his frustration on Twitter.
Just cannot believe the decision was made without input of any coaches or players! 😔![CDATA[]]>💔 pic.twitter.com/dkVdcMCD9D
— Keenan Horne (@keenoCH10) February 14, 2023
Instead, the runners-up of the Nations Cup, Ireland, have been invited by the International Hockey Federation (FIH) to join the Hockey Pro League in 2023-24.
“The SA Hockey Association is extremely saddened by the fact that they will not be attending the FIH Hockey Pro League season (2023-24) despite us qualifying at the inaugural Men’s Nations Cup,” Saha interim chief executive Shaune Baaitjies said.
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“The magnificent progress in our team performance is a direct result of our participation in the previous Pro League season. As a federation we will forever be grateful for the opportunity afforded to us to participate at that level. It will be sorely missed especially as it would have assisted our team with their preparation for Paris 2024 (Olympics). We wish Hockey Ireland and all the other teams all the very best for the FIH Hockey Pro League season.”
IOL Sport