July 4, 2003	Friday	Jumadi-ul-Awwal 3,1424

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KARACHI, July 3: Newly-appointed hockey manager Abdul Rashid Jr on Thursday said he has a tough task ahead but will be ready to quit if he feels affairs are not being run professionally by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials.

“I know it is a big challenge for me. But somebody has to take over the assignment. I know quite a few previous team officials had stepped down.

“I will part ways with the PHF if I feel things are not going in the right direction. There will be no compromise on principles,” Rashid told Dawn from Islamabad.

PHF has been left by some former Olympians installed as manager or coach of the national senior or junior sides including former junior team coach Ayaz Mahmood and Col Zafar Ali Khan who managed the squad last year.

Shahnaz Sheikh recently stepped down as manager after a controversy involving him and two national players — Sohail Abbas and Waseem Ahmad — and their department Wapda.

Rashid did not mince words in saying that he wanted full powers to coach the squad as a manager, although according to the new format evolved by the PHF, manager is only responsible for administrative matters not the training.

“Of course I will train the players. If I have accepted a responsibility then I should be involved in each and everything related to the squad including training. But I have not been told anything by the PHF about my powers,” he said.

Rashid said it was merely a ‘jugglery of words’ when pointed out that manager is meant to take care of the administrative matters as per the new rules made by the present PHF.

“It is jugglery of words. One can say whatever he wants. But the manager is the main thing and it is a tradition since long in Pakistan hockey. I am the manager, therefore, I am responsible for the training too.

“If manager is not responsible for training then what one can say about the departure of Shahnaz. He had to quit after the recent dismal performances of the team during Australian tour,” the former captain contended.

Rashid, a former centre-forward, said he saw no problem while working along with team coach Tahir Zaman when asked there were indications Shahnaz called it a day after differences with Tahir.

“Tahir is like a kid and junior to me. I don’t see working along with him,” he said when told Shahnaz and Col Zafar both were senior to Tahir.

It was not only pathetic showings in the three major events last year which forced Col Zafar to tender his resignation, but huge generation gap between him and Tahir also prompted the manager to quit.

Asked about his tenure, the Olympian said he had not been intimated about it and can’t comment. “I have not been told anything about my tenure. There is no guarantee I will be manager if the team fares badly at the coming Champions Trophy.”

Rashid, who has staged a comeback to the hockey management after eight years, said at the moment he even did not have a fair idea about the talents of the current Pakistan squad.

“It will be unfair if I say something about the present team. Barring (Mohammad) Nadeem remaining players are unknown to me,” he remarked.

Rashid, who managed the squad that won the 1994 Champions Trophy in Lahore and Sydney World Cup the same year, however, said to prepare a best possible squad for the coming Champions Trophy in Amstelveen in August would be his top priority.

However, the manager felt the absence of Sohail and Waseem may affect the team’s performance at the Trophy. Both the players face an inquiry for playing in professional league in Germany without PHF’s approval.

The former skipper said he was expected to be released by his department, PIA, on July 7 and would join the second leg of the training camp in Karachi from June 11.