ISLAMABAD, June 16 The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has strangely named three assistant coaches to accompany the junior team to feature in the first Asian Youth Games slated to be held in Singapore from June 29 to July 7.

While the team has three coaches, it will be proceeding for the international event without a physiotherapist or team manager, a top official of the federation told Dawn on Tuesday.

The official informed that Chief Coach Mohammad Rashid with Bilal Ahmad Butt and Mohammad Karim as assistant coaches and Zahid Khan as goalkeeping coach and Jahangir Khan as FIFA referee would also accompany the team as a part of the contingent travelling to take part in the nine-day event.

“A major operational mistake has been committed by the PFF operations department by not including a physiotherapist in the football squad,” the PFF official said on conditions of anonymity.

“Although the initial list did include a physiotherapist, he was later scratched by the PFF's top brass,” said the official.

“It is a fact that FIFA member nations always fulfil their international commitments along with physiotherapists in the squad,” he pointed out.

Another major “operational mistake”, according to the official, was made on the part of the PFF while ignoring a permanent manager for the squad.

The official explained “FIFA has a managers' meeting before the start of every international event but the PFF this time ignored a basic rule set by the football governing body.”

When contacted PFF Director Operations Perviaz Saeed Mir clarified “The tour may look like a joy ride for the coaches and officials but together they are a complete coaching team.

“There is no need to send a permanent manager with the squad because we have trained the chief coach and provided him with enough information regarding team management affairs,” he added.

When asked about the missing physiotherapist in the team, he remarked “It is not a big issue especially in events of such international level. The facility will be made available to us over there.”

About George Kottan's current assignment, he said “The Austrian coach has been assigned an important job with the senior team.”