KARACHI, Sept 23: Chief hockey selector Khalid Mahmood on Saturday snubbed manager-cum-coach Shahnaz Sheikh for entering into his domain, saying that team selection was the prerogative of the selection committee.

“Nobody can be allowed to interfere into selection committee’s affairs. Only the selection committee has the prerogative to select the team and to discuss about the selection matters,” the former Olympian told Dawn from Lahore.

Khalid was reacting over a press statement by Shahnaz a few days ago in which he categorically said that some players would “retire” and young blood would be infused into the team to build a new-look side for December’s Asian Games in Doha.

“How can Shahnaz decide what should be done with the squad or whether there will be changes in future, especially when he is no more the manager or coach? He was given the charge of the team only until World Cup which is now over,” said Khalid

“It is yet to be decided whether he should be asked to coach the team for Asian Games. So in this scenario, Shahnaz’s statement carries no value. It is only us (selection committee) who will decide about selection,” he remarked.

While there is no official word from Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) yet, there are reports that Shahnaz had been given extension and that he would be in-charge until Doha event.

Although the chief selector said nobody except the selection committee could decide whether to go for changes in the team, he said there would be “some changes” in the squad for Doha Games.

“I can’t say anything on the future of any player who participated in the World Cup. But one thing I can say for sure is that there will be some changes in the Doha-bound team.”

Interestingly, Khalid said he would be consulting his fellow selectors – Manzoorul Hassan and Hassan Sardar – before taking a final decision about making changes in the team.

The chairman of the selection committee said he would also consult Hassan since he (Khalid) had not been officially intimated by the PHF about his resignation as selector.

“I never heard or read anything official in the press from the PHF regarding Hassan’s resignation. Even the PHF has not informed me about Hassan’s resignation. For me, he is still a selector and I will surely consult him too besides Manzoor,” said Khalid.

In a recent statement, Hassan Sardar, a former Olympian, had announced that he had stepped down since Gen Aziz Khan and Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan who appointed him as selector had quit PHF as president and secretary.

Khalid, however, refrained from divulging details about the possible changes in the team when asked about the future of the players who have either passed their prime or have breached the code of conduct several times during their careers.

Although Khalid avoided talking on the possibility of axing the seniors, the veteran players who might face the axe include controversial captain Mohammad Saqlain, Sohail Abbas, Waseem Ahmad, Mohammad Shabbir and Ghazanfar Ali.

Saqlain, whose erratic conduct has earned him several disciplinary actions at international level, has already hinted he might hang up his boots after a meeting with the new PHF president Zafarullah Jamali.

As for Sohail and Waseem, both the players have repeatedly violated the code of conduct in the past. They were fined Rs0.5million for skipping a tour to Australia while they preferred to play in German league despite PHF’s orders to attend national duty.

Using player power as a trump card, the pair had announced retirement from international hockey in December 2004 soon after Champions Trophy and didn’t report for national training camps despite repeated calls from PHF.

In July this year, the duo suddenly took a U-turn and staged a comeback for the Champions Trophy in Terrassa, Spain after tendering their apologies for ignoring the PHF directives and for announcing retirement without consulting the federation.