KARACHI, Nov 30: Pakistan juniors face an uncertain future as differences among team officials and meddling by manager in training and selection affairs is playing havoc with the hockey squad.

According to the new system, only coach not manager should be responsible for the training of the squad.

Previously, the manager enjoyed greater authority and coach played a second fiddle. But after change in policy, the coaches are now responsible for selection and training of the squad, while manager should take care of the administrative matters.

Be it calling of the probables for a camp, training, selection of the squad, or fielding the players during the tournament, junior team manager Col Abdur Rauf (retd) is calling the shots, making the three coaches virtually redundant.

Qamar Ibraheem’s transfer from the junior squad to Pakistan Whites as coach also came because of Col Rauf’s constant involvement into the training and selection of the squad.

Serious differences between Qamar and Col Rauf cropped up during the camp in Karachi for the four-nation tournament in Cairo earlier in September, which led to Qamar’s departure from junior squad on Col Rauf’s recommendation.

Qamar, a former Olympian, who was deputed to assist Ayaz Mahmood, was toying with an idea to train the juniors on a new pattern by modifying the Asian style to which Col Rauf disagreed.

It was also Col Rauf on whose insistence some experienced players were not considered for the Cairo trip against the wishes of Ayaz and Qamar who didn’t want to have raw material in the squad.

Qamar’s replacement, Asif Bajwa, is also likely to suffer from Col Rauf’s interference in the training methods, including drills at the camp for the Under-19 event in Kuala Lumpur in January.

It is not the first instance that Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has failed to stop interference by the team managers in the training and technical aspects of the squads.

Earlier, former manager Brig Khalid Khokhar was involved in giving statements on technical aspects and Col Zafar Ali Khan enjoyed considerable say in training and selection.