LAHORE: Former senior Olympians Shahnaz Sheikh and Manzoor Junior are most likely to be appointed as national team head coach and chief selector, respectively, during the 27th Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Executive Board meeting scheduled to be held here on Wednesday.

President PHF Akhtar Rasool Chaudhary will preside over the meeting.

Dawn has learnt on authority that both Shahnaz and Manzoor Junior have expressed willingness to accept the posts of head coach and chief selector.

Also, four Olympians namely Islahuddin Siddiqui, Shahbaz Senior, Akhtar-ul-Islam and Shahnaz, too will be inducted into the PHF Executive Board to accept the hitherto annoyed former Olympians’ demand of raising the number of former Olympians from two to four at the Executive Board.

The former senior Olympians were not happy with the previous PHF set-up headed by Qasim Zia and Asif Bajwa and had showed their resentment from time to time in this regard. However, as Akhtar took over last year he started a campaign to bring the annoyed Olympians into the PHF fold.

Akhtar’s endeavours bore fruits when Shahnaz, Islahuddin, Shahbaz and many others expressed willingness to work under Akhtar-led PHF.

Notwithstanding, prominent Olympian namely Samiullah Khan is still opposing PHF policies and has decided against joining the country’s hockey governing body.

Sources said that Shahnaz has been inducted into the Executive Board which will also recommend his name for the post of head coach too. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether Shahnaz will continue as member of the Executive Board after being given the task of head coach.

Considering declining standard of hockey in the country, it will be a great challenge for the senior Olympians to deliver even if they get free hand from the PHF president in team affairs.

“Akhtar, wanting national team revamp to bring back all lost glories, is ready to give free hands to his new team if the new officials promise future team successes,” claimed the sources.

“In fact, Shahnaz will not get a poor side since they are defending champions at the Asian Games besides holding the Asian Champions Trophy title,” the sources further said.

“Shahnaz’s job is to make the national team world beaters,” another PHF official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

“They all are capable of lifting the national team because they have a vast experience of international hockey and hopefully with better coordination with the PHF president they will achieve their goals,” he claimed.

Nevertheless, PHF’s main problem is to generate money as the federal government is not ready to grant funds to the hockey federation adopting the stance that first the PHF management must show accounts of the grants taken by the previous PHF set-up during Pakistan People’s Party government.

The PPP government showing generosity showered around Rs1 billion on the PHF during the last five years but the incumbent government is not ready to give any respect to the national game until it gets account of the previous funds given.