December 28th 1971 :: Champion Of " FIRST " World Cup Hockey " LEGALLY " finalized – GOLDEN JUBILEE of the World Cup Hockey

December 28^th 1971 :: Champion Of First world Cup Hockey finalized – GOLDEN JUBILEE of the  inaugural " FIRST " World Cup Hockey

There was NOTHING except the Olympics for every team to face each other and for every team to play each and meet them off the field for each other. The Olympics are held once within FOUR years and  Hockey for that matter was limited to the Asian games, the European Hockey Championship, the African Hockey Championship and there was nothing and still there is nothing as such in the Oceanic region ie in the region at New Zealand and Australia in terms of what we can call it as a championship in these countries.

To make Hockey a more competitive and an illustrated sports and to keep the hockey players very busy so that they are active on the field and are at their peak best to take on each other, it was the PAKISTAN HOCKEY FEDRATION under Air Marshal Nur Khan who himself was a famous hockey player of Pakistan and who repreented Pakistan in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Olympics, initiated the movement of staging the FIRST-EVER-WORLD Cup hockey. He started this movement in 1968 and in the month of March 1969 the Federation Of International Hockey ( F.I.H) gave the permission to Pakistan  to hold the FIRST ever WORLD CUP HOCKEY at Lahore Pakistan.

It was decided that Pakistan being the host would be the automatic qualifier, and India as the champion of the 1966 Asian games from asia would be the second automatic qualifier. Though Pakistan had won the Olympic title and being a host it’s qualification was automatic and the second team rom Asia would be India s India were the Asian games champion. They had received that honour when they defeated Pakistan by 1-0 in the finals of the 1966 Asian Games.

The other teams that were send the invitation were Australia being the Runners-up in the 1968 Olympics at Mexico , West Germany as the winner of the European Hockey championship, Spain as the Runners Up of the European Hockey championship, Holland  as the PLATE BRONZE  CHAMPIONS from Europe , , Argentina s the winner of the Latin American Hockey championship ,  Kenya as the champion from Africa, France as the PLATE  RUNNERS-UP from Europe , Japan as the BRONZE MEDALLIST from Asia in the Asian Games .these were the TEN teams which as per their standing in the World Hockey wee invited to participate at Lahore, Pakistan in 1969 for the FIRST  WORLD CUP HOCKEY.

No Qualification matches Then Being Played

During those days there never used to be the qualifiers.In Hockey the participation of India and Pakistan was and wer a MUST .

However now – a – days the qualifiers are the one’s and that holds. However during those days the respective champions would always qualify from their zone and that would make up the teams to participate . India and Pakistan for their standing and their billings in the World Hockey were the automatic two qualifiers. This is how the World Cup Hockey was started and it was thus mapped about how would it would be played in 1969.

STERN WARNING BY Mr Abdul Hafeez Kardar :: Indian Would Be Slayed – “ W C H ”  deferred

Everybody knows about this man Mr Abdul Hafeez Kardar. He was the FIRST ever Pakistani Cricket Captain of the Pakistan cricket team. Before the partition he played all his cricket at India and for the Muslims in the Pentangular and the Quadrangular cricket tournament at India.

Infact he was a BRITSH CIVIL SERVICES ie the INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE Officer. After the partition he switched over to Pakistan and he was accorded with the HIGHEST kind of authority and job in the Pakistan Government and he was very CLOSE to Mohammed Ali Jinnah . He was their  FIRST ever Captain of their national cricket team and under his captainship , Pakistan visited India in 1951-51 in which they beat India at Lucknow losing the series by 1-2 to India. That series gave them TWO of the WORLD OUTSTANDING CRICKETER Hanif Mohammed and  Fazal Mehmood. Later it was the marriage between Fazal’s son and Hanif’s daughter which made them  a relative through that marriage.

That series was something where Abdul Hafeez Kardar would throw a SPANNER everytime that  would see the interruption of the game and it would boil down to calling off the series but the COOL and the CALCULATED Lala Amarnath would see the incident’s doused for the better. Clever man handling by Lala Amarnath would see the incident through and doused off.

Later after his cricketing career was over, Kardar as a Civil servant of Pakistan brought in mnay a reforms and those were well appreciated at Pakistan. Looking into his method of implementing and successfully holding the  Governmental plans for Pakistan, the authorities at Pakistan gave him the overall responsibility to HOLD this mega event, the FIRST of it’s kind at Pakistan. Everybody expected him to come of a WINNER.

 SHOCKING STATEMENT FROM KARDAR- 1969 World Cup Hockey Tourney PUT OFF

After getting the reponsibilty from the Pakistani authorities, the FIRST shocking statement that Mr Abdul Hafeez Kardar put was- “ IF THE INDIAN PLAY HERE AT PAKISTAN, HE WOULD SEE THAT EVERY INDIANS ARE LYNCHED AND KILLED AT PAKISTAN AND EVERY PLACES THAT THE INDIAN HOCKEY TEAM PLAYS HERE WOULD BE SET ON FIRE BY HIM ”  .

This send a shock wave to the entire India and to the world over. Kardar vehementally and openly challenged anybody at Pakistan then saying that  THERE IS NOBODY IN THE PAKISTAN GOVERNMENT WHO CAN TURN HIS WORDS OFF IF HE DECIDES  TO TAKE AN ACTION AGAINST ANYBODY and belter it would be that the Indian Hockey team is NOT allowed to put their feet in Pakistan then.

This turned off the event at Pakistan and the First world Cup hockey to be held got postponed. The Federation Of International Hockey then started finding another suitable country and it was Spain that agreed to hold this mega event from October 1971 to October  24^th 1971 at Barcelona .All the ten teams mentioned here were invited to play at Barcelona and all the teams landed at Barcelona to play out this mega FIRST ever World Cup Hockey tournament .

The FOKKER PLANE HIJACK :: World Cup Hockey Put Off Till 1971

Pakistan in 1970 had hijacked the FOKKER PLANE from the airport of Kashmir/Jammu and this again send the world in a FRIHT to send their best by plane to any other destination. The two who did were HANGED by India after madam Indira Gandhi was able to get them and hang them over here. This again has completely destroyed the BELIEF and the FAITH that the Pakistani and the Indians could have it between them to continue with the matches and the tourney.

The international’s were segmented and divided between India and Pakistan and their respective supporters and the followers. The International politics and the policy that followed again halted the tourney and it was finally decided to stage the event at Barcelona, Spain from October 15^th to October 24^th within a span of TEN days only. It was to prevent the tournament being dragged for the other kind of unusal happenings to take birth and take it’s wing.

SEMIS And The FINALS ::  DEADLY INTERCEPTION TOOK PLACE AND FIH HAD TO PITCH IN

Everything was sailing smoothly till the semis. In the FIRST semi final whe India was playing Pakistan, India were leading 1-0 at the breather. Immediately after the breathing time was over when the Pakistani team as coming to the field TANVIR DAR the DEADLIEST Pakistani Full back and ONE of the BEST PENALTY CORNER CONVERTER, went to the Indian bench and FLUNG his stick at the Indian player.It hit one of the Indian player warming the bench,  and the blood started oozing out. Tanvir was in  his WORST of the mood then. Ran M.P.Ganesh and Ashok Kumar to save the situation and force Tanvir to cool and take on the field.

 TANVIR DAR HAD SCORED EIGHT GOALS FOR PAKISTAN IN THE 1971 WORLD CUP

Rulewise Tanvir should have been immediately suspended but that did not happen. It was put forward by the Umpires/Referee then as the game had NOT started after the breather even by any rule then, Tanveer should and could NOT have been penalized. It was Tanveer who got the equalizer before Manzur –Ul-Hassan got them the winner .

There in the semis, the Indians protested vehemently against Pakistan scoring two goals as BOTH the goals werescored through the UNDERCUTTING. During those days and times, the BALL should NOT rise up in any manner while taking the penalty corners. It has to be the CARPET ROLLED SHOT to hit the goal board for the goal to be counted.  Pakistan scored both the goals by UNDERCUTTING .That is when the shots were taken and executed, on both the occasion the ball rose up and went in the goal.As a rule it should have been disallowed but the referee looking into the state of the affairs which and by which the Pakistani were playing , gave them the advantage to AVOID any further clashes between the two team and Pakistan romped home through these two goals.

In the finals Pakistan scored through a PENALTY STROKE to defeat Spain. That is how they won the WORLD CUP in 1971. However after the finals the Spaniards approached the WORLD- SPORTS-COURT - OF – LAW along with India to file a case against the winner about the manner they scored their goal. The Spaniard vehemently protested against that Penalty Stroke which was converted by Akhtar Rasool  who was a PROFESSOR of PSYCHOLOGY in the University of Lahore at Pakistan, who was to captain the Pakistani Hockey winning World Cup team of 1981 which had won that World Cup held at Bombay, then.

India was persuaded by Mr Rene Frank through the HIGHEST  REGARDED, FAMILY of Spain to withdraw the case and a proposal was put to Madam Indira Gandhi. She looking into the dastard kind of international polity that was happening and that was brutalizing the international affair decided to withdraw the petition that India had filed and that gave Pakistan a reprieve to breathe at PEACE atleast for some time.

However the Spaniards went till the last minute only to see the battle withdrawn for a better days of Hockey ahead and then it was on December 28^th 1971 when AT-LAST, Pakistan was OFICIALLY relieved from all the clutches of the files and complaint to be announced as the NEAT-WINNER of the FIRST WORLD CUP Hockey.

Though the World Cup Hockey was awarded to Pakistan on October 24^th 1917, when their Captain Kahlid Mehmood accepted it on the PODIUM at Barcelona after the final whistle was over, it was this date DECEMBER, the 1971 when Pakistan was actually relieved by all the trails and the trails facing them to be acknowledged as the FIRST WINNER of the World Cup Hockey 1971. On that dat at Lahore, The then Pakistani Captain, Khalid Mehmood wore the Pakistani National Blazer of Hockey to hold that Trophy and the Hockey stick in his ARM to pose for the trophy that is seen here on the picture/photo posted. 

It was Air Marshal Noor Khan of Pakistan and Brigadier Atif, together, who fought TOOTH-AND-NAIL for Pakistan in the court to finally see them laying their hand on the glittering cup.

That is the reason when the WORLD CUP HOCKEY that was awarded at Barcelona on October 24^th 1971,  the THREE Captains of Pakistan, India and Spain together did  HOLD that Cup to pose for themselves . However when finally Pakistan was relieved on December 28^th 1971 against all the charges filed against them, their Captain Khalid Mehmood finally held the Cup holding the Hockey Stick in his arm and wearing the Pakistan National Blazer of Hockey to claim that  PAKISTAN THEN WERE THE OFFICIAL WINNER OF THAT WORLD CUP.

World Cup Hockey :: Pakistan's Gift To The World Of Hockey 

Infact it has been Pakistan which GIFTED the World Cup Hockey to the WORLD. The entire TROPHY was designed at  Pakistan and was made and prepared at Pakistan .They thus wanted to win the inaugural trophy by any mean.

They were on the VERGE of being THROWN out in the tournament when at the group stage they lost as many as THREE points when they were held by Spain and when Holland defeated them .However a LAST-MINUTE-Goal by Japan against Holland whom they defeated them by 1-0 saw Pakistan through to the last four edging Holland on a better goal difference and that was that.

Why did Spain and India withdraw the " COURT- SUIT " filed against them - :: 

Pakistan was at a war against India from December 3rs 1971 to DCecember 16th 1971. It was defeated and broken into two. Some of the pakistani team member tanvir Dar, Khalid Mehmood and a few of them were either at war or they were a loser of and at the war. Some of them and their INFAMOUS WORLD CLASS RUNNER of the 200 and the 400 metres ABDUL KHALIQUE was a  PRISONER OF WAR HERE at India. Khalique  no sooner that he landed here at India, had requested the Indian Military Authorities to allow Milkha Singh to meet him which the Indian Government did it.

The WORLD BODY of the COURT where this cases were filed requested through the Spanish Government to let this case go and let Pakistan atleast BREATHE free for and to celebrate some kind of a happiness and feel the breeze of the VICTORY and it's taste as such after it was broken into TWO by the Indian Army.

Once when the Army unit of Pakistan which was here as the POW were set free to get back to their country, the PHF ( Pakistan Hockey Federation ) called upon the entire team all from the different units of Pakistan and  those  who represented their National Hockey team for the World Cup - I for a celebration and celebrated that occasion at Lahore.It was there that the picture of Khalid Mehmood had been clicked by them and their press to put it to the World .

It ofcourse was an HAPPY occasion for Pakistan to have won that Trophy inspite of all the CLITCES and HITCHES and thus they were crowned as the OFFICIAL WINNER of the World Cup - I . That is what is the actual story and thus DECEMBER 28th 2020 completes the 49th year of the WORLD CUP Hockey and today it has put it's foot or the feet on the FIRST-DAY of it's existence of the FIFTIETH YEAR. 

Some Intriguing facts of the First World Cup ::

1 ) . The Kenyan team had all the SARDRJI playing for them .Two brothers from the Sardar family who were a famous businessman at Kenya produced a joint family where the four sons later gave birth to as many as 14 children's of which twelve were the son's .These twelve brothers played in all the game for Kenya in the FIRST WORLD CUP HOCKEY for Kenya . Never in the HISTORY of the WORLD HOCKEY till then had seen a full team of SARDARJI representing their country in the first eleven in Hockey.

2 ) . In the prize distribution, the Captain of the Indian team then, Ajit Pal Singh actually had worn the BLAZER and the FULL-PANT to receive the prize and the BRONZE MEDAL for him and the Indian team. The way India was ousted from the semis by the virtue of those two UNDERCUT-FOUL goals, the Indians had LOST their interest to play the BRONZE MEDAL match as well. They struggled all the way to win it through goals from Shahid Noor and Ashok Kumar . 

Infact after the final hooter after that match, the entire Indian team was specially persuaded and requested by the holding authorities that held this event at Barcelona to receive their prizes which after many an open discussion that Indian team did. That is the reason you can see Ajit Pal Singh in his OFF- HOCKEY-ATTIRE to receive that award.

I'm hereby furnishing the match record of India in that tournament.The POINT-TO-BE-NOTED was that India was and India is the ONLY team in the WORLD cup Hockey and it's tournament which entered in the semis of that World Cup without conceding any goals or defeats or even playing a keen-even matches ie the draws to make it to the semis of that world Cup matches. 

In the hard line BRONZE medal play off as written it was Shahid Noor and Ashok Kumar who scored the Indian goals after India were down by 1-0 against Kenya till the 56th minutes of the  game. 

Here Feb -00 means2-0 victory and Jan 00 means a 1-0 victory for India and 2-Jan means a 1-2 defeat for India in the ie that  tourney . Let me make it clear. IN the Group match, India FIRST defeated France by 1-0 the goal being scored by Vinod Kumar, it then defeated Kenya by 2-0 the goal scorer being Vinod Kumar and Kulwant Singh, in the third match India again defeated Argentina by 1-0 Kulwant Singh being the scorer and in the last group match it defeated West Germany by 1-0 with Kulwant Singh being the scorer .In the semis India were defeated by Pakistan by 1-2, Rajvinder Singh being the scorer. That is how India fared in the First and the inaugural World Cup hockey held at Barcelona.

This is all that I can vouch and write it for and this sums it up all.

Well , that is it and That sums it all.

Regards and Thanks

Pics

Shyamal Bhattacharjee 

Mr Shyamal Bhattacharjee, the author was born at West Chirimiri Colliery at District Surguja, Chattisgarh on July 6th 1959 He received his early education at Carmel Convent School Bishrampur and later at Christ Church Boys' Higher Secondary School at Jabalpur. He later joined Hislop College at Nagpur and completed his graduation in Science and he also added a degree in    B A thereafter. He joined the HITAVADA, a leading dailies of Central India at Nagpur as a      Sub-Editor ( Sports ) but gave up to complete his MBA in 1984 He thereafter added a Diploma In Export Management. He has authored THREE books namely Notable Quotes and Noble Thought published by Pustak Mahal in 2001 Indian Cricket : Faces That Changed It  published by Manas Publications in 2009 and Essential Of Office Management published by NBCA, Kolkatta  in 2012. He has a experience of about 35 years in Marketing .

Signature Of Shyamal Bhattacharjee 

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