ACCC: Egypt’s Sharkia win men’s title after handing Ghana Exchequers hockey lessons

    Sharkia captain Hossam Ghobran scored twice in the final Egypt’s Sharkia have claimed the Africa Cup for Club Champions men’s title after thrashing Ghana’s Exchequers 4-2 in the final held at Sikh Union on Sunday. Sharkia, who have won the top honour without tasting defeat advanced to the final after topping group B of the tournament while Exchequers, were the best team in pool A. This was the second time Exchequers lost a final at Sikh Union as the club, fell 2-1 to Kenya Police in the Gold Cup held in May last year. The hotly-contested encounter saw the Ghanaians take an early lead in the 12th minute through Botsio Johny whose conversion from a short corner sailed past the line. Sharkia regrouped quickly and would draw level three minutes as skipper Ghobran Hossam finished off a good team move. Just before the Sharkia bench could sit down after celebrating the equalizer, Abdelmoneim Hamada gave them the second goal from a short corner. Sharkia made it clear that they were in for business as the team plundered home the third goal in the 24th minute through Hossam who was on top of his game. Exchequers pulled one back through Johny but their hopes of completing a comeback were extinguished in the 47th minute as Khaul Ayman drove home the fourth goal for Sharkia. Hossam said the two-year long hiatus from the continental championships helped them prepare adequately for this year’ edition. The club has now won the continental gong for a record 26 times. “We took a break from the continentals so as to prepare. I am glad that we have won it. It was quite some task considering that we came up against the top team in Ghana. We also played six matches in seven matches,” he said. Sharkia goalkeeper Hemid Mohammed was named the best in the tournament in the men’s category with Uko Martha of Delta Queens taking home the gong in the women’s side. GRA’s Vivian Narkour bagged the golden stick curtesy of the six goals she managed. The duo of Johny and Sunday Orinya of Nigeria’s Police Machine were declared the best scorers in the men’s catgeory. The two finished with eight goals apiece.   Source: mozzartsport.co.ke | February 18, 2023

    FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup: moment of silence for earthquake victims

      February 7, 2023 As a mark of respect for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has decided that the first match of each gender at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup today will be preceded by a moment of silence. Yesterday, FIH President Tayyab Ikram had been in contact with the Turkish National Olympic Committee and the Turkish Hockey Association and expressed his and FIH’s heartfelt condolences and support to the Turkish hockey community and population. While there is no national hockey association in Syria, condolences were obviously expressed to the Syrian people as well. “In these moments of deep sorrow, I would like, on behalf of FIH, to ensure the Turkish hockey community – which very sadly has also been directly affected by this tragedy – that the global hockey community is standing by their side.  Our thoughts are with all the victims of this devastating disaster and their families”, FIH President Tayyab Ikram stated. FIH has also taken note with great appreciation and gratitude of IOC President Thomas Bach statement saying that the Olympic Movement would support affected communities.

      Germany crowned World Champions at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023

        The final day of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 was played in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar as Germany were crowned the champions of the world, defeating the defending champions Belgium in a thrilling finals, where they went down by 2 goals early in the first quarter but fought their way back again and took the game into a shoot-out, where they held their nerves in the sudden deaths, winning 5-4. With the win Germany also claimed the top spot in the FIH Men’s World Outdoor Rankings. Earlier in the day Netherlands and Australia went head-to-head in the bronze medal match, where Jeremy Hayward gave them an early lead, but an incredible 3-goal burst in 8 minutes in the third quarter, with captain Thierry Brinkman scoring twice, gave Netherlands the lead that they would take to the end and win the bronze medal. With the win, followed by Belgium’s loss in the finals, Netherlands move up to the second position in the FIH Men’s World Outdoor Rankings, followed by silver medalists Belgium who are now ranked third ahead of Australia, who end the tournament ranked fourth. Bronze Medal Match: Australia vs Netherlands 1-3 Netherlands started the game on the front foot, with Theijs van Dam getting a powerful shot into the circle looking for a Dutch deflection, but Hoedemakers couldn’t get on the end of the cross and Australia survived an early scare. Australia started settling into the game midway through the first quarter and a pass into the circle by Jeremy Hayward found captain Zalewski open on the right of the goal, but his shot/cross went wide off the mark with Blake Govers missing a deflection from point blank range. Australia scored the opening goal of the game through Jeremy Hayward who scored his 100th goal in his 200th appearance for Australia. It was a double blow for the Dutch who had referred the penalty corner and lost their review early in the first quarter. Netherlands won their first penalty corner of the game in the 20th minute but Jip Janssen’s powerful flick went straight as an arrow and Charter managed to pull off a comfortable save to deny Netherlands from their first big chance since the opening minute. Both teams traded opportunities to close the opening half, with big chances falling to Koen Bijen for the Dutch and Blake Govers for the Kookaburras, but both star forwards were off targets with their running shots and the teams headed into the break with Australia holding a slender one-goal advantage against Netherlands. Netherlands started the second half with a high press, which was a tactic that worked quite well for Germany in the semi-finals. The ploy seemed to work well for Netherlands as well as they earned three quick penalty corners inside the first two minutes of the second half, and with the third attempt, Jip Janssen opened his account in the game with a powerful drag to the right of Charter to bring the teams level. Two minutes later, Netherlands were in the lead as a clearance attempt by Tim Howard was blocked by Wortelboer in the circle and the resulting loose ball was put into the goal by Dutch captain Thierry Brinkman. Australia started to press higher in search for an equaliser, but it was Netherlands again who capitalised with a quick counter as van Dam’s run from the half line produced a cross that found Brinkman unmarked at the back post and he made no mistake in doubling Netherlands lead. Australia entered the final 15 minutes needing to score at least 2 goals to keep their hopes of winning a medal at the World Cup alive. Their high press gave Netherlands a lot to do in defence, but Jorrit Croon, along with Blok and Jansen, were stellar in the Dutch defensive circle, stopping waves of Australian crosses into the circle. Netherlands believed they had scored the 4th goal of the game midway through the quarter with Koen Bijen knocking the ball into the goal on the back post, but a foul in the build up reversed the goal as Australia breathed a sigh of relief. But Netherlands continued their excellent defence and as time ran out, they ran out winners, earning their third bronze medal at the men’s World Cups. Captain Thierry Brinkman was awarded player of the match and said: “We were playing quite well in the first half but couldn’t convert our chances. We didn’t change anything in the second half, we were just better at converting our opportunities and the way we have played today and through the tournament, we deserve this bronze medal.” Gold Medal Match: Germany vs Belgium 3-3 (SO: 5-4) Germany took on Belgium in the finals hoping to win their 3rd gold medal at the FIH Hockey Men’s World Cups to go level with Australia and Netherlands and one behind Pakistan who have won the event 4 times; while Belgium aimed to become just the 4th team, after Pakistan, Germany & Australia, to defend their title successfully. Belgium started the game on the front foot, creating an early circle entry, but Tom Grambusch was alert to the chance and intercepted a cross right in front of the goal and cleared the danger. Germany won a penalty corner in the 6th minute, referring the original decision which had gone against them. The resulting penalty corner was well defended by first rusher Cosyns who blocked Gonzalo Peillat’s attempted flick. Belgium opened the scoring in the 10th minute as a long corner deflected high off a German stick and fell to Florent van Aubel at the top of the circle and he took the shot on in his stride and smashed the ball into the goal before Stadler could react! Less than a minute later Belgium had doubled their lead as a cross from the left deflected off a German stick and fell to Simon Gougnard who had to get the slightest of touches to put it in the

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        FIH EB draws plans to empower National Associations

          Bhubaneswar, India: The Executive Board (EB) of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) took the opportunity of the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 to hold its first meeting of the year today in Bhubaneswar, India, under the chairmanship of FIH President Tayyab Ikram. A few National Associations Presidents present in Bhubaneswar were invited to attend the start of the meeting and exchange with the EB members. The FIH President opened the meeting by extending the sincerest gratitude of the EB to the Odisha government, Hockey India and the FIH team for their excellent work and commitment to deliver such an outstanding FIH Hockey Men’s World Cup. He added that his first 60 days in his new capacity had been made of “hockey, hockey and more hockey!”. Tayyab Ikram also informed the EB that he used his first weeks as FIH President to engage a large consultation process, with athletes, Continental Federations, National Associations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or the FIH team in particular. With development being at the heart of the FIH mission, the EB approved a first-of-a-kind project aiming at better engaging with and empowering the National Associations (NAs) around the world. Concrete measures in key focus areas – more hockey pitches, a boost to coaching, more opportunities to compete, more tools to empower NAs – will be implemented shortly. With a view to cover more inclusion topics than gender, the EB has decided to rename the Women in Sports Committee into “Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee”. Furthermore, the EB members received detailed reports and updates about a wide range of topics, including hockey development, finance, events, sports, commercial, broadcast or marketing-communications. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites

          Captain Cassiem inspires South Africa to the title in the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup

            04 December, 2022 A Dayaan Cassiem masterclass leads South Africa to victory over Ireland in the thrilling final of the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup South Africa 2022, securing qualification into the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 season for the hosts. The packed crowd in Potchefstroom was treated to an end-to-end display of attacking hockey in a closely fought match that ended in a 4-3 win in favor of South Africa. The attacking stars from both teams showed up in the big finals with Dayaan Cassiem and Shane O’Donoghue scoring twice, while Tevin Kok, Mustaphaa Cassiem and John McKee also getting on the scorecard. Dayaan Cassiem was especially brilliant, scoring two fantastic goals for the hosts in the first half before winning the penalty stroke, scored by younger brother Mustaphaa, that gave South Africa the win in the final quarter. Ireland piled the pressure on the South African goal in search of a late equalizer, but the experienced heads of Jethro Eustice, Keenan Horne and goalkeeper Hendrik Kriek kept the Irish at bay and sealed a historic win for South Africa in front of a raucous home crowd. Earlier in the day Korea got the better of Malaysia in the all-Asian affair in the bronze medal match. Korea were dominant from start to finish, not allowing Malaysia any opportunity to get in the game, scoring twice in the first half and twice again in the second. Jonghyun Jang continued his purple streak from the penalty corners, scoring his 7th goal of the campaign to finish as the top scorer of the tournament. France finished their campaign in the 5th place, edging Japan in the shoot-outs after a closely contested match where France scored two first quarter goals, but Japan came back to level the scores and had great chances in the dying moments of the final quarter to claim a win. French captain Victor Charlet scored two penalty strokes in the shoot-out and French keeper Arthur Thieffry saved two Japanese shoot-out attempts to seal the win for the European team. In the 7th place playoff Canada and Pakistan played a 9-goal thriller, that swung multiple times and was finally settled through a 58th minute goal by Usama Bashir to earn Pakistan their first win in the tournament. 7th Place Match: Canada vs Pakistan 4-5  Pakistan started the 7th place playoff game on the attack, scoring two goals inside the first 6 minutes of the game. Canada didn’t let Pakistan run away with the game, and found two goals of their own to end the first half on level terms. Both teams scored a goal each from penalty corners and open play. The second half continued to follow a back and forth pattern. Pakistan struck first in the 4th quarter after a scoreless 3rd, but Canada answered back within a minute. Canada then took the lead for the first time in the game with 6 minutes left, through a second Sean Murray goal, from a penalty corner. Pakistan responded instantly as a brilliant move from the right by Abdul Rana split the defense and allowed him to lift the ball over the keeper, into the net. Pakistan carried the momentum into the final minutes and a brilliant counter attacking move resulted in a goal scored by a diving Usama Bashir, to give Pakistan the lead with 3 minutes left to play that they carried to the end. Usama Bashir, the winning goal scorer for Pakistan, was awarded the player of the match and said: “It came a bit late but as the tournament went on we started implementing the plan that coach Aikman had devised for us. That is what has got us the win today and we will improve further in the future.” 5th Place Match: France vs Japan 2-2 (Shoot-out: 4-2) The French resurgence at the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup continued as they finished their campaign on a high with a shoot-out win against Japan to claim the 5th position. Japan finish in the 6th place at the end of a good campaign that could’ve ended very differently had a few key moments gone their way. France were quicker off the block and threatened to run away with the game, scoring twice in the first quarter. Captain Victor Charlet added the 5th goal of his campaign from a thundering penalty corner and Timothée Clément scored his first goal, diving across the goal to deflect a cross sent in by Gaspard Xavier. Japan brushed off the first quarter and showed improved performance in the final three quarters to end the regulation time tied at 2 goals apiece. Kentaro Fukuda got the first goal for Japan and Ken Nagayoshi added a second from a penalty corner. France were perfect from the shoot-out, scoring from their 4 attempts, of which two were awarded as penalty strokes, which captain Victor Charlet dispatched with incredible ease. Arthur Thieffry, playing in his 100th game for France made 2 great saves on the 3rd and 4th Japanese attempts, with the second save winning the game for France. Corentin Sellier was awarded the player of the match, and speaking of his team’s overall campaign said: “We had a slow start to the tournament with a few members of our team carrying injuries, so we could not make the semi-finals. But it is good to show what we can do at full strength and finish at the best possible position outside of the top 4 spots.” Bronze medal match: Malaysia vs Korea 0-4  The Bronze medal match set-up a replay of the opening day match between Korea and Malaysia, where Korea had edged Malaysia in a narrow 1-0 win. While Korea once again emerged victors in the repeat contest, the margin between the two teams was much wider this time, thanks to the offensive masterclass the Korean attack put in. After a goalless first quarter, Korea added two goals that gave them a lead they fully deserved. Seo Inwoo scored the opener before captain Namyong

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            Tayyab Ikram (MAC)

            Tayyab Ikram (MAC) elected as new President of FIH

              5 November 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: Tayyab Ikram (MAC) was elected as new President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH) today by the FIH Congress. Of the 126 votes submitted by the member National Associations, Tayyab Ikram attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 79 votes to the 47 given to Marc Coudron (BEL). The duration of the term of the new FIH President will be of 2 years in order to complete the mandate of previous FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra who resigned on 18 July. “Hockey is my passion, hockey has changed my life and I’m thankful to hockey and the hockey family for this. I express my gratitude to all of you for the confidence you’ve given me today. I promise you that I will carry the message of solidarity and bring the FIH together”, new FIH President Tayyab Ikram said. Maureen Craig-Rousseau (TTO, 88 votes) and Elizabeth Safoa King (GHA, 68 votes) were re-elected to the FIH Executive Board (EB), while Hiroya Anzai (JPN, 72 votes), Piotr Wilkonski (POL, 70 votes) and Deon Morgan (RSA, 66 votes) were elected for the first time as FIH EB members. The term of office of Deon Morgan will be of two years, to take over the remaining two years of Tayyab Ikram’s term. The mandates of the other EB members who were elected or re-elected today will run until the 2026 FIH Congress. Further decisions: The Congress approved the application of the Indonesian Hockey Federation “PP FHI” – which is supported by the Indonesian Olympic Committee and the national sports governing bodies of the Republic of Indonesia – as full member of FIH. The application follows the transfer of membership between the Indonesian Hockey Association “PHSI” (former national hockey governing body) and the Indonesian Hockey Federation (now FIH member) that was approved by the FIH Executive Board on 4 October 2022. The Indonesian Hockey Federation has met all FIH membership requirements. The 2021 FIH audited accounts were submitted to Congress and subsequently approved The proposed amendments to the FIH Statutes for Articles 7.2 (d), 7.2 (e) and 7.4 (a) have been accepted, while those proposed by EHF have not The recipients of the FIH Honorary Awards – giving recognition to numerous individuals, teams and organisations for their outstanding contributions to the sport of hockey – and the FIH President’s Awards – which are given to individuals for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were revealed today as well (see full list of recipients below) The 48th FIH Congress, which was held virtually, had started yesterday with delegates joining a virtual conference titled “Stronger Together” where major topics such as fan engagement, innovation, sustainability, development or governance were discussed. *********** FIH President’s Awards: Gill Gemming (NZL): an educator, coach, administrator and official, the Chair and a member of both the OHF and the FIH Education and Development Committees has committed her life to the growth and development of hockey and its people Chaiyapak Siriwat (THA): the Vice-President of the Asian Hockey Federation and President of the Thailand Hockey Federation has had an illustrious career in sports management, especially when it comes to event management Marissa Langeni (RSA): as the CEO of the South African Hockey Association during almost 15 years, has played an instrumental role in the promotion of the sport in South Africa and beyond Margaret Hunnaball (ENG): one of the top Umpire Managers in the world, has taken numerous initiatives for the development of umpiring as well as safeguarding, and is a mentor for young officials Willard Harris (TRI): the Chair of the FIH and PAHF Competitions Committees has been associated with the hockey community for 50 years and conducted numerous seminars sharing his experiences with many of the officials that are now officiating internationally Shiraz Ali Yakub (KEN): the FIH Umpire and Umpire Manager from Kenya – also former member of the Executive Board of the African Hockey Federation – has been successfully involved in a wide range of events, from his native country to the global stage Elena Norman (AUS): the CEO of Hockey India is playing an outstanding role in the promotion and development of hockey in India as well as around the globe through the numerous world events which the country has been hosting FIH Honorary Awards: Pablo Negre Trophy: awarded to the French Hockey Federation for the emphasis in their governance on making hockey more inclusive, more sustainable and more accessible Theo Ykema Award: awarded to the Uganda Hockey Association for their great initiatives to develop hockey in the country HRH Sultan Azlan Shah Award: awarded to Tornike Tevdoradze (GEO) for all his activities to grow hockey in Georgia Etienne Glichitch Award: awarded to Gino Schilders (NED), in recognition of his contribution to the growth and development of hockey, in particular for the Czech Hockey Federation in the last 25 years Guust Lathouwers Memorial Trophy: awarded to Miao Lin (CHN) for her accomplishments and commitment that have inspired many Asian umpires Super Fair Play Trophy René G. Frank: awarded to the Kazakhstan national team for all the support they provide to other countries, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in particular Order of Merit: awarded to Dr. Michael Green (GER), Shahbaz Ahmad (PAK) and Sarinder Dillon (UK) for their unvaluable dedication and commitment to hockey at all levels Diploma of Merit: awarded to Subahan bin Kamal (MAS) for his significant contribution to the development and advancement of hockey in Malaysia To see an overview of all FIH Honorary Award winners, both past and present, as well as background information about the prizes, please click here. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please download the Watch.Hockey app or follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and website. #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites

              Meeting with Egyptian Sports Minister

              Egypt to host the 1st African Hockey 5s World Cup in December 2022

                Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Egyptian Minister of Youth and Sports, met on Monday with Mr. Seif Ahmed, Acting President of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), Mr. Sherif Kamal, President of the الاتحاد المصري للهوكي Egyptian Hockey Federation 2020, Mr. Ahmed Azmy, CEO of the African Hockey Federation and Mr. Tarek Mostafa, Vice President of the Egyptian Hockey Federation. The meeting discussed preparations for Egypt to host the 1st African Hockey 5s World Cup qualifier next December 2022 and the U21 Junior Africa Cup next March 2023. The meeting also reviewed the study of Egypt to host next March a demonstration Hockey 5s Championship by the iconic Pyramids. The meeting took place in the presence of a number of leaders of the Ministry, including Dr. Muhammad Al-Kurdi, Head of the Central Department of Sports Performance and Mr. Ihab Al-Ebyari, Director General of Sports Facilities. Dr. Ashraf Sobhy affirmed Egypt’s full readiness to host various tournaments throughout the year thanks to Egypt’s unique characteristics and in light of the directives of the political leadership to make Egypt a global platform for hosting major tournaments and sporting events. The Minister drew attention to the importance of a good organization of the 1st African Hockey 5s Championship, which is being held in its first edition, and to provide all support to it to achieve success at various levels, wishing success to all participating teams in the tournament. #AfricaHockeyNews #HockeyInvites

                South Africa to host inaugural Men’s Nations Cup

                South Africa to host inaugural Men’s Nations Cup

                  22 June 2022 Lausanne, Switzerland: The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has appointed South Africa as the host country for the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup. The event will take place at the North-West University of Potchefstroom – which successfully hosted the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in April this year – from 28 November to 4 December 2022. The aim of this new yearly event is to offer a top-level competition to the best-ranked teams not participating in the FIH Hockey Pro League and give the winning team the option to be promoted to the FIH Hockey Pro League the next season, precisely. Therefore, the FIH Hockey Nations Cup marks the start of the promotion-relegation principle for the FIH Hockey Pro League, with the winning team of the first FIH Hockey Nations Cup having the chance to be promoted to the 2023-24 FIH Hockey Pro League (provided they meet the necessary requirements for it). The following eight teams – which include some of the powerhouses of world hockey! – will participate in the very first edition, having qualified based on their position in the FIH World Rankings of May 2021: South Africa, France, Canada, Japan, Korea, Ireland, Pakistan and Malaysia. FIH CEO Thierry Weil said: “On behalf of FIH, I’d like to thank wholeheartedly the South African Hockey Association for hosting this inaugural edition of the FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup. Everyone could see how successful the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup – the first FIH World Cup to be staged on African soil – was, and we’re delighted to go back to Potchefstroom soon! With the Nations Cup, not only a true hockey festival awaits all hockey fans, but there’s a lot a stake for the teams, including a place within the FIH Hockey Pro League!” Shaune Baaitjies, Acting CEO of SA Hockey: “South Africa showed our capacity as a world class host with the hosting of the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup in Potchefstroom earlier this year. The North West University facilities were outstanding and received wonderful reviews from all involved. We are delighted that the FIH has chosen to host the FIH Hockey Nations Cup in Potchefstroom. The South African Men enjoyed playing the home series of games in the FIH Hockey Pro League at the venue and look forward to adding more remarkable memories for the international hockey family. It promises to be a wonderful tournament at a wonderful venue!” The inaugural FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup will be held in Valencia, Spain, from 11 to 17 December this year. For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please visit FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app. #FIHNationsCup #HockeyEquals #HockeyInvites For more information about FIH and hockey in general, please consult FIH.hockey, follow the FIH social media channels – Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – and download the Watch.Hockey app.