KARACHI: Following up on its vow, Pakistan has filed an appeal with the International Tennis Federation, challenging the ITF’s decision to shift the Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group-I tie against India to a neutral venue.
The Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) president Salim Saifullah told PTI on Sunday that a formal appeal has been filed with the international body and they were expecting a “positive” response by November 15.
Where Saifullah gets his confidence from is debatable because thus far ITF’s actions on the matter have favoured India.
“We have pointed out that we are fully prepared to host India for the Davis Cup tie as there is no security issue and nor should political ties between the two countries over-ride our chance of hosting a major event,” Saifullah told the newswire.
Saifullah said the event-free opening of the Kartarpur corridor on Saturday is a clear indicator that despite the ongoing diplomatic tensions it is possible to host the Indian tennis team in Islamabad.
“I think our case is very strong because there is no viable argument for shifting the tie to a neutral venue,” he argued.
Pakistan was earlier scheduled to host India in the Davis Cup Asia Oceania Group-I Tie on September 14-15 at the grass courts of Pakistan Sports Complex, Islamabad, where matches against Uzbekistan, Korea and Thailand have taken place in 2017 and 2018.
But the ITF announced early this month that the tie would be held at a neutral venue to be chosen by Pakistan after the All India Tennis Association (AITA) requested the tie to be shifted from Islamabad. The ITF said it had acted on the recommendations of its independent security advisors.
Saifullah claimed the Indian officials had used the opposition Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl’s (JUI-F) ongoing sit-in in Islamabad (seeking Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation) to “convince” the ITF that their players would not be able to focus on the matches.
“They highlighted to the ITF about JUI-F leadership’s aggressive attitude. We have a very good chance of beating India on our grass courts and the Indians know this that is why they are using all tactics to delay and shift the tie,” he asserted.
Saifullah’s assertions are more bombast than fact, it needs to be pointed out. The Indian team would be overwhelming favourites whatever the surface that is finally agreed for the increasingly long in the tooth fixture.
As for the opposition JUI-F leadership’s aggressive stance, it is this that really buttressed India’s case. And seen from this perch, AITA appears to have been pleasantly surprised by the ITF’s decision. The indications in the lead-up to ITF’s decision to shift the tie to a neutral venue were that AITA had resigned itself to sending a team to Pakistan.
