KARACHI, March 21 Former national football team coach and arguably the most-qualified football official in Pakistan, Tariq Lutfi has said that the national team at this point needs to concentrate on its performance rather than get itself involved in all kinds of controversies.

Speaking to Dawn on Saturday, Lutfi, who coached the side from 1985 to 2005, said “I have been following the information given out by various sources, the head coach George Kottan`s statements about being unhappy with various grounds and the players` selection along with assistant coach Nasir Ismail`s actions and justifications for these past few days. And I have a little advice for all of them.

“It`s performance alone that should speak for itself in the end. Pakistan has won four SAF Games gold medals already — in 1989, 1991, 2004 and 2006,” he pointed out. “We are also on a hat-trick besides being the holders and will be defending our title this year, which is what should really be our focus rather than playing the blame game about who selected the team and who`s influencing whom,” said the coach under whose guidance Pakistan won two SAF Games gold medals (1991 and 2004).

“The federation has only just hired this new foreign coach and it should be commended for roping in such an experienced and capable man. What we are hearing these days might just as well be teething problems, until Kottan gets accustomed to his new environment. And he should be allowed to do so,” said Lutfi.

“Our recent performance in international assignments may have left a lot to be desired but we have been slipping after putting on such fine performances in the SAF Games, the series against India in 2004 which we won and where we thrashed our neighbours 3-0 in the last match at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore. Then we even held Asian champions Iraq to a goalless draw in the Asian leg of the World Cup qualifiers in 2007. We are capable of doing even better,” said the former coach.

Lutfi, who is also one of Pakistan`s first License `A` coaches, praised the three assistant coaches working with Coach Kottan. “Nasir Ismail, Shahzad Anwer and Aslam Khan are all former players and are well qualified for the job. They are all my students and the first two mentioned are also recent License `A` coaches from the Asian Football Confederation. They should all work together to build a strong team which should be continued for the SAF games so that the boys have enough exposure and experience under their belt before the big event.”