April 19, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 01, 1428

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KARACHI, April 18: Pakistan hockey manager-cum-chief coach Islahuddin Siddiqui was left red-faced on Wednesday when Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) and coach Manzoorul Hassan contradicted him, saying he provided misleading information to the media about the coach’s whereabouts.

Manzoor, who preferred to attend a marriage in Faisalabad rather than supervising the national training camp’s evening session in Karachi on Monday, said Islah had misguided the media by saying that he was present at the camp.

“What Islah did was certainly wrong. It was certainly wrong to say that I was present at the camp on Monday evening because I left Karachi for Faisalabad to attend a marriage of son of a former PHF president Nawaz Tiwana. I had also told Islah about this before leaving. There was no need to say I was at the camp,” Manzoor told Dawn at Hockey Club of Pakistan.

Asked about Manzoor, who was missing in the evening session, Islah had tried to mislead Dawn on Monday, saying the coach was somewhere in the stadium and might be in his room which was later found locked.

PHF secretary Khalid Mahmood also confirmed that he had been informed by Islah that Manzoor had left for a day after intimating him.

“I had contacted Islah on Tuesday and he informed me that Manzoor has gone for a day with his permission,” secretary said from Lahore.

The situation clearly shows how pathetically hockey affairs are being run in Pakistan and how officials try to hide skeletons in the cupboard. The approach and attitude adopted by the most responsible team official is not damaging only to the game, it has also set a bad precedent for up-and-coming youngsters who are training under Islah.

On the other hand how unprofessional is the approach of the coach was evident from the fact that Manzoor preferred to attend a marriage and that too in a far-off city instead of concentrating on his job in Karachi.

The most ironic part of the story is that both, Islah and Manzoor, are being paid for their services. Pakistani hockey Olympians are always critical of having a professional paid foreign coach, but after recent episode, especially Manzoor’s absence from the camp to attend a marriage, the commitment and dedication of the team officials is certainly questionable.

Meanwhile, Manzoor claimed that lobbying for former Pakistan skipper Mohammad Usman as assistant coach was out of question.

“There is no way Usman can become a coach at this juncture since he is still playing for his department, PIA. I will never lobby for him during his career as player,” said Manzoor, while reacting to reports that he has been lobbying for the Gojra player to become his assistant.

Although the former full-back denied he wanted Usman as coach, surprisingly he expressed his sympathy for the right-half, saying media never cared much when he was suspended from playing for his department.

“The poor kid was in trouble but nobody cared,” he said but at the same time admitted that Usman used derogatory words during a TV interview against the then PHF secretary which he should have avoided.

“You know why he spoke against secretary (Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan) because the official had once refused to talk to him and asked him to get out when he went to his office in Lahore,” Manzoor said.

The coach was at loss for words when asked while he had been sympathising with Usman, why he never uttered a word in favour for others. For instance, right-out Haider Hussain was ousted from a training camp after a clash with Usman during a session, although both were involved in fracas.

Manzoor was unconvincing when asked if an active player should not be hired as a coach, why Kamran Ashraf had been appointed junior team coach.

“Kamran can become a coach because he is not playing anymore. He played last time at last national championship,” he said but didn’t elaborate how a player could be eligible to coach rookies while he had no coaching credentials and quit playing just a year ago.