May 14, 2006	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1427

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LAHORE, May 13: Pakistan hockey coach Asif Bajwa has said World Cup was his major target and not Champions Trophy.

Asif, who was not only retained as coach on Wednesday but also given the additional charge of manager after the removal of Saeed Khan, said World Cup was played after four years while Champions Trophy was an annual feature.

Asif was retained following the reshuffle in the team management by Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) in the wake of the debacle in World Cup qualifiers in China where Pakistan earned poor fourth position. However his deputy Rana Mujahid was axed along with Saeed.

Asif, who has been retained till the World Cup, said Champions Trophy to be held in July in Spain would be a test for his side before the World Cup in Germany in September.

The coach said the new responsibility was a challenge for him but he had been in favour of the one-man management and added he had now planned to handle the affairs.

He said it was difficult to run the team if the coach and manager had no coordination which confuses the players too.

But he dispelled the impression that he had no coordination with Saeed.

He said the national training camp for Azlan Shah Cup was preferred to be set up in Karachi because of the similar weather conditions of Kuala Lumpur where the tournament would be played.

Rana Zaheer Ahmad, who has replaced Mujahid, said he would try to give his best to improve the skills of the players.

Zaheer was also been named coach but was removed after the then manager Samiullah tendered his resignation in protest, saying he had not been consulted before Zaheer’s appointment.