LAHORE, Dec 13: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has released two foreign coaches despite having an option to utilise FIFA funds to bear their expenses after the suspension of AFC programme.
Asian Football Confederation (AFC), under its development fund programme, had provided two coaches — senior team coach Jozef Herel from Slovakia, and junior team coach John Layton from England.
However, the AFC had given the national associations an option to retain the foreign coaches by using the FIFA aid. Pakistan is one of the countries receiving FIFA’s US$1m grant.
Herel will leave for his country on Dec 20 while Layton departs on Saturday.
Herel had replaced Englishman David Burns last December who was sacked in January last year by the PFF following rift with the officials.
However, Herel refused to comment on PFF’s decision.
“I am unaware about the decision and I can only comment after receiving an official letter from the PFF. I met PFF president Mian Azhar Tuesday. He had told me that a decision will be taken in this connection in next three days. But I am still waiting for it,” Herel said.
During Herel’s tenure the team had little exposure. The seniors toured Sri Lanka to play four friendly matches from March 16 to 26. Pakistan lost two matches 1-0, 2-0 while the remaining two ties were drawn.
The team lost all the matches at Busan Asian Games earlier this year in Sept-Oct. Pakistan were beaten by Kuwait, North Korea and Hong Kong 6-0, 5-0 and 3-0 respectively.
Layton, however, was successful as senior coach as he also trained the seniors after Burns’s sacking and before Herel’s arrival.
Layton trained the seniors who scored the first point and the goal at World Cup qualifiers last year, while Under-19, Under-17 squads also reached the final rounds of the Asian championship.
The Under-20 missed the final round berth only after a 2-2 draw with Bangladesh who qualified on better goal average.
Although the PFF had already decided against retaining the coaches, the recent ban by the AFC on Pakistan for fielding over-age players in an U-17 event, and Herel’s severe criticism in his report presented to Mian Azhar, prompted the PFF to release the coaches.
Apart from pointing out lack of coordination between the coaches and the PFF, Herel, in his report, had suggested the PFF to check the practice of sending over-age players to camps by the departments.