KARACHI, Jan 30 In a game of musical chairs, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Wednesday swapped two key posts by appointing Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui the new chief selector while installing Khawaja Zakauddin as team manager-cum-chief coach until August's Beijing Olympics.

Although the PHF chief Zafarullah Jamali officially announced the decision that Islah would serve as head of selectors, he didn't specifically give a reason as to why the Olympian had been removed from his post of manager-cum-chief coach.

“Islah met me recently and said he will voluntarily resign if I ask him, but I told him to serve as chief selector instead of manager. But it is not because I don't have trust in Islah's capabilities as manager. Zaka is a senior person and I don't want to break the continuity from the Champions Trophy,” Jamali told Dawn.

Zaka, who had served as chief selector since April 2007 and was only named as a makeshift team manager for last year's Champions Trophy following an injury to Islah, has now been made a permanent manger-cum-coach.

The PHF president, when asked what compelled him to swap the posts now, adopted a diplomatic tone. “I agree that I had told Islah that he will be back after recovering from his injury. But I want Zaka to continue with the current job as he is more senior. Sometimes in sports one has to play a gamble,” said Jamali.

But while he disagreed that it was team's poor performance which led to Islah's removal as manager, it is obvious that the ex-captain's ordinary performance in the job had triggered the switch.

Islah, when asked if he was taken into confidence by PHF about the change, shied away from making any comment. “It is better if you put this question to Mr Jamali.”

There was a similar reply from him when asked why Jamali had not reinstated him as manager-cum-coach after his recovery from ankle injury.

Nevertheless, the former captain confirmed that he had accepted Jamali's decision.

“Both jobs have their own importance, it is the decision of PHF president which I have accepted.”

Zaka, on the other hand, refused to disclose whether he would be interested in continuing as manager after the Olympic Games. “I have been asked to continue as manager and that's it. All I know is that my tenure is till Olympic Games.”

Among other decisions, controversial former PHF secretary Lt-Col Mudassar Asghar (retd) has also been appointed selector to replace Abdul Rashid who has quit owing to personal commitments, while former Olympian Samiullah has been retained as selector.

Mudassar's choice appears to be a bit odd as, apart from his suspect reputation as a former PHF official, he and Islah have never seen eye to eye.

Islah, however, denied such reports. “I never had problems with Mudassar when I was the manager during his tenure as PHF secretary.

It is not too distant a past when the PHF regime, headed by Gen Aziz Khan and secretary Brig Musarratullah Khan, investigated into the PHF accounts during Mudassar's tenure which remained inconclusive.