Pakistan Hockey Federation and the Foreign Coach Saga
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) is trying its best to bring in a veteran foreign coach and is in the process of convincing a few of them. However, the law and order situation in the terrorism-stricken South Asian country has become a hurdle in the way of a foreign coach landing in Pakistan.
Secretary General of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, Mohammad Asif Bajwa said that the matter would clear up just after 10th of June and that the hope that the PHF would be able to rope in a foreign coach.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has been looking for a foreign coach for their national team after a devastating World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year. The four-time World Champions finished at the last spot in the 12-nation prestigious event.
Pakistan was once a potent force in international field hockey and had won number of international tournaments including World Championship titles along with the honour of winning the Champions Trophy, Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and many other events around the globe. However at present, the national game in Pakistan is facing its worst phase.
The higher authorities of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) have been beating their own trumpet of bringing in a foreign coach for the Green Shirts, but the security issues do not allow any foreign coach to take a bold step of landing in Pakistan.
While the PHF has been negotiating with different foreign coaches, it has not yet been successful in convincing an individual due to the worsening law-and-order situation in the country.
Asif Bajwa, the PHF Secretary, confirmed that the hunt for a foreign coach is still on and a final decision would be made by the 10th of this month.
“Things would be clear only after June 10 and I hope that we would be able to bring in at least one foreign coach for the position,” said Bajwa.
Pakistan’s former junior coach Khwaja Junaid was appointed as the national coach for the just concluded Azlah Shah Cup held in Malaysia. Junaid was however relieved of his duties later on and was appointed as the coach of the junior team once again.
At the moment, only one foreign coach has shown some guts and courage to move to Pakistan - former Holland hockey coach Michael van den Wooghal – who is in communication with the PHF officials for a probable stint with the Green Shirts.
The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has negotiated with the Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel in Lahore with a lucrative offer to convince him to join as Pakistan’s national hockey coach.
Sources in PHF, while taking to the media explained that the Dutch coach called on PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa and Federation’s President Qasim Zia on Friday eve to negotiate the terms and conditions of the expected contract for the job.
It was revealed that after the preliminary round of talks, the PHF officials have offered former Holland hockey player a package of Rs 0.7 million to Rs 1 million. Concurrently, a decision by Michael van is yet to be taken.
Sources have claimed that Michael van is the best option to attain the PHF job after Paul Lissek of Germany declined to join hands with the Pakistan Hockey Federation for the revitalization of the national game in Pakistan.
Earlier on Wednesday, Secretary PHF Asif Bajwa confessed in an interview with a sport reporter that due to security concerns not even a single foreign coach is willing to work in Pakistan.
If the law and order situation continues, the poor Green Shirts will have to visit Europe with a Pakistani coach just as they did in the Azlan Shah Cup last month.
Tags: