LAHORE: Pakistan hockey team’s Dutch coach Michel van den Heuvel is a man torn between his duty and the uncertainty about his future as a coach which makes him desperately homesick.
His duty, of course, is to successfully coach the unpredictable Pakistan team to the Olympic glory in the 2012 London Games, for which he is, indeed, paid handsomely by the Pakistan Hockey Federation.
His future, however, rests with the long-term contracts he may lap up back in Holland. And with rumours circulating that he has signed a contract with a club in his native country, which has in effect resulted in a breach of his contract with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), Heuvel said that his first priority is to coach the greenshirts till the 2012 Olympic Games.
“What I know is that I have a contract with the PHF until the Olympics and expect them to respect the contract,” said Heuvel in an exclusive interview on Wednesday.
Clarifying his pre-contract arrangement with a Dutch club, Heuvel says that his new job will be after the Olympics.
“I don’t have any contract with any club until my contract with the PHF ends.” Heuvel remarked.
“The PHF knew very well that I was not going to continue with them after the Olympics and as a professional coach I need a job.”
With the PHF to decide Heuvel’s future in a body meeting on Thursday (today), Heuvel is optimistic that he will be at the helm come the Olympics.
“There are small issues but they (PHF) know I am positive to join them again,” he said. “I hope we quickly sort out things in the next couple of days.
“I have done everything what is in my contract and the PHF knows it. To work with Pakistan, for me, is a big honour and it has been a great experience as the players here have a definite desire to bring back the lost glory for the country.”
Despite the experience, Heuvel seems reluctant to continue on as Pakistan coach after the London Games.
“I can’t wait for the league to start in September,” Heuvel said. “I’ve spent enough time away from my family.
“I think I am only a free man after the Olympics and I feel it is really difficult for me to continue after the 2012 Olympics.”
Whatever decision the PHF takes on his future, Heuvel says his time in Pakistan has been a good one and he will leave with good memories.
“I think I’ve done the best I could for Pakistan hockey and everybody should respect that,” he said. “We jumped six places up the rankings during my tenure and we are the best in Asia too.”
On his insistence on holding the PHF training camps in Holland, Heuvel said that teams were reluctant in coming to Pakistan.
“Nobody actually wants to come and play in Pakistan so I had to design a programme in which we could play competitive matches,” Heuvel said.
Nevertheless, Heuvel feels that PHF needs to cultivate the immense hockey talent in the country if it is to get better results in the future.
“Pakistan hockey really needs is a good environment for talent to develop and thrive,” he remarked. “The problem is that nobody here has a realistic approach which results in a lot of confusion.”
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