KARACHI, July 6: Pakistan junior hockey coach Qamar Ibraheem on Thursday said running the affairs without selection committee would be the ideal situation, saying that only then he would be responsible for the results in future.

“I never had any problem with the selectors. But I have no doubt if there will be no selection committee it will be the ideal situation. In that situation, being the coach, I will be responsible for the results,” former Olympian told Dawn after the evening session at Hockey Club of Pakistan.

Qamar said nowhere in the top hockey playing nations were selection committees and only coaches were responsible for selecting and training the team. It was this freedom and authority of the coach, he said, which could yield better results.

The coach agreed that while top European nations didn’t have tradition of having selection committees, South Asian countries including Pakistan had selectors who didn’t play active role but were part of the selection system.

Qamar said Europeans never involved any individual in selection matters like former Pakistan coach from the Netherlands, Roelant Oltmans, who neither held trials nor consulted the so-called “selection committee” during his one-year tenure.

“I agree that it is the coach who trains the players in blistering heat. It is the coach who knows each and every trainee, about his behaviour on the pitch, and his abilities. So if coach knows every thing and there is hardly any role of the selectors during the training camp, why not give the coach sweeping powers,” he opined.

However, Qamar said since currently there was a selection committee, only he could not be held responsible for results in future and added that Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), selection committee and the team management including him would be responsible.

Former Olympian Khalid Mahmood is the chief selector, Akhtarul Islam, Hassan Sardar, Manzoorul Hassan are the selectors while Brig Musarrat Ullah cop-opted member of the selection committee. Not a single selector was present at the camp venue on Thursday to watch the probables.

To months ago, Pakistan senior team coach Asif Bajwa had favoured the selection committee while taking full responsibility of results.

Asked would he be comfortable without the manager if given additional responsibility to manage the team, Qamar said he felt at ease in the presence of manager Manzoor Jr.

“Asif (Bajwa) was appointed manager-cum-coach on his personal request since he had a rift with manager (Saeed Khan). But I don’t have any clash with my manager. If PHF wants to give me additional responsibility of manager, I have no objection.

“PHF chief Tariq Kirmani, during a talk with the press, had categorically said that junior team will also have one person responsible for managing the team, but so far there is no official word about this,” he said.

Altogether 43 probables of 46 invited trained in the absence manager Manzoor who has gone to perform Umra and expected on July 10. Qamar’s deputy Khalid Bashir was also missing from the camp because of unknown reasons.

Yasir Dilawar would not join the camp as he is busy in exams, while Mustansar Sheikh and Mudassir Nazir, who could not join as they are taking care of their ailing father and mother, are expected to join soon.

Pakistan juniors are training for a four-nation in Singapore from Aug 3 involving hosts, Pakistan, India and Malaysia. Pakistan were scheduled to take part in Under-18 Asia Cup from July 23 in Chennai which has been postponed.

“After the four-nation, we will ask PHF to either invite a European outfit or send the team to Europe as Asia Cup has been postponed,” Qamar said.