Brief by Shorts91 Newsdesk / 09:21am on 18 Feb 2026,Wednesday Sports
Pakistan hockey captain Ammad Shakeel Butt has admitted lying about the team's conditions during Australia's FIH Hockey Pro League tour after videos went viral in India. The Pakistan Hockey Federation's failure to clear hotel payments left players stranded near Sydney's Opera Street for 12–15 hours without food or accommodation. Eventually housed in a local facility, players washed dishes, cleaned toilets, and prepared their own meals even on matchdays. Butt revealed team management pressured him to release a false "everything is fine" video fearing India's reaction. Pakistan lost all four matches and returned to Lahore on Wednesday with no PHF official present. Butt directly blamed team management officials Sheikh Usman and Shehzaman for repeatedly lying. (PC: Ammad Butt Instagram)
