LAHORE, June 15 Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has decided on hiring Dutchman Michel van den Heuvel as the national team coach just five months ahead of their main target, the Asian Games.

The PHF Executive Board meets in Lahore on Wednesday to give its formal approval for the appointment of the foreign coach. It is learnt that the Michel is being hired on a one-year contract, which he'll be signing after his arrival in Lahore on June 19.

The decision of appointing a foreign coach seems to be PHF's last ditch effort to win the Nov 12-27 Asian Games' title.

PHF President Qasim Zia had set the target of taking gold in the Asiad soon after assuming the charge of federation chief some 18 months ago. But the team's poor performance in the last World Cup in India under the coaching of Qasim's first choice Shahid Ali Khan as much as shattered that dream. It was the first time that Pakistan finished 12th in the 12-team mega event.

PHF's decision to hire a foreign coach looks like a last way out for it to avoid further criticism.

The federation has had to struggle hard in its hunt for a foreign coach as it failed to attract German coach Paul Lissek and Australia's Barry Dancer, who showed reluctance in accepting the job mainly due to their security concerns about coming to work in Pakistan.

The Executive Board will also be giving its approval for a team manager. The manager's post was also lying vacant since the World Cup debacle when PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa was serving as manager.

The PHF had made Khawaja Junaid the coach-cum-manager for the recently-concluded Sultan Azlan Shah assignment as it was unable to find a foreign coach by that time but Junaid is now back at his original job of coach of the junior squad.

The Executive Board meeting will be attended by vice presidents Nawab Lashkari Raisani, Saeed Khan, Wasay Jalil, Barrister Shahida Jamil; Secretary Asif Bajwa; Associate Secretary Rana Mujahid Ali; Treasurer Khalid Rasool; provincial secretaries Rana Mujahid (Punjab), Syed Zahir Shah (NWFP), Rao Saleem (Sindh), Farooq Ahmad (Balochistan); President PHF Women's Wing Khushbakht Shujaat; technocrats/experts Olympian Manzoor Junior; Asad Malik and Col (retd) Zafar Ahmad Zafri; Collector Customs Preventive Fateh Mohammad and Director Army Sports Brig Iqtidar Naseem.