Pakistan hockey team manager Anjum Saeed was allegedly offloaded from a flight while returning from an overseas tour after being accused of smoking onboard, according to sources.
Sources said the national team was returning to Pakistan from Argentina when the aircraft made a transit stop at another airport. During the stopover, reportedly in Brazil, Anjum Saeed allegedly smoked inside the aircraft after it had landed.
According to the sources, the flight crew lodged a complaint over the alleged smoking incident, following which airport security staff offloaded Anjum Saeed from the flight. A player was also left behind, while the rest of the squad continued its journey back to Pakistan.
Sources added that members of the team repeatedly requested the security staff to allow the manager to travel, but strict aviation regulations regarding smoking were enforced, and the requests were rejected.
However, Anjum Saeed has denied the allegations. Speaking to media, he said no such incident took place and claimed that he stayed back in Dubai with a player due to official work commitments.
The national hockey squad returned to Pakistan two days ago, while Anjum Saeed and the player arrived in the country late last night.
Despite the denial, sources maintained that security officials had taken Anjum Saeed into custody for a brief period and imposed a fine. They added that the matter was eventually resolved after payment of the penalty.
