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| August 03, 2006 | Thursday | Rajab 7, 1427 |
Akhtar hints at removal of coach after debacle
LAHORE, Aug 2: Pakistan Hockey Federation’s newly-appointed secretary Akhtarul Islam indicated on Wednesday that coach Asif Bajwa might be replaced with a foreign coach for which discussions were under way.
Akhtar, who replaced Musarrat Ullah Khan on Monday, hinted at sacking Asif as coach after a string of poor performances by the national outfit on international level.
He indicated that the federation was contemplating about hiring a foreign coach but the change may come about after September's World Cup in Germany or the Asian Games in Doha which are scheduled for December this year.
"The fate of Bajwa will be decided in next couple of days in the light of his report on team’s performance in the Champions Trophy.
“But as the time is short for the World Cup, every decision will be taken carefully," the secretary said during his first press conference since assuming the charge.
He added that a person who might not necessarily be an Olympian could be appointed as manager of the Pakistan team instead of giving full powers to Asif.
"The decision of giving all powers to Bajwa was taken by the PHF after the coach had developed differences with then manager Saeed Khan in the World Cup qualifiers in China.
“It affected the performance of the players. So after considering every aspect of the one-man show policy, the PHF may revert to the previous system of appointing a manager who may not be an Olympian," he said.
He, however, admitted that a sudden change in the team management in the present scenario could prove a futile exercise.
Akhtar said he would prefer qualified coaches from home or abroad over senior Pakistani Olympians to train the national team.
"The coaching methods in hockey are based on modern lines and our senior Olympians do not have enough knowledge of new techniques,'' the secretary opined.
"Pakistan need many coaches but they should be qualified. European coaches are highly skilled," he said.
Akhtar, who was appointed secretary by president PHF, Tariq Kirmani on Monday after the Champions Trophy debacle last month, said local Olympians were required to train youngsters at grassroot level and for the academies.
"The PHF will welcome every senior Olympian and hockey lover in its efforts to promote the game in the country at the grassroot level or at the academies," he said.
He avoided giving any assurance of a positive result at the World Cup, but vowed to raise a world class team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
"Currently, Pakistan are fifth in the world rankings and after World Cup we will improve on that with better planning. I assure the nation that a strong team will be raised, capable of delivering the goods,” the secretary said.
He said hiring of foreign coaches would be one of the steps to raise a formidable side in near future and that negotiations were under way with the German and Australian coaches.
Referring to the huge difference between the financial packages of foreign and local coaches, Akhtar said PHF was bound to pay foreign and local coaches according to the pay structure in their respective countries.
He denied the reports that Asif Bajwa had tendered his resignation during the Champions Trophy after the 9-2 thrashing by the Netherlands.
However, sources confirmed that Asif had offered to quit after the big defeat but the president refused to accept his offer.
The secretary said only the physically fit players would attend the training camp next week and the doors were open to all internationals who had recently withdrawn their retirement decision.
"Even the senior players including Mohammad Saqlain, Rehan Butt and others will have to pass the fitness test before getting inducted into the training camp," he said.
The secretary informed that the Pakistan team would depart for Germany on Aug 20 to take part in the four-nation contest and the subsequent World Cup tournament.
Akhtar said PHF would review the scrutiny process adopted by the previous secretary while holding elections at district and provincial levels.
This was a clear reference to the trend followed by the former official as Musarrat faced a lot of criticism from different district bodies for allegedly helping his favourites in getting elected.
The PHF secretary said a new hockey structure would be built under which at least one under-16 academy at national and one each at regional level would be set up.
“The competition at school and college levels would also be introduced to increase the pool of players. In order to generate funds, the government agencies and corporate sector would be approached.”
He assured that provincial hockey association would also be made stronger to work independently.
Akhtar expressed his ignorance when asked about the amount of funds in PHF account although he had had a three-hour meeting with the previous secretary before taking charge.
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