‘Pakistan volleyball team needs hard training, foreign tours’

KARACHI: Pakistan’s newly-hired Iranian volleyball coach Hamid Movahidi on Tuesday said that Pakistan had a great potential but the players needed hard training and foreign tours.

“I have worked with the Pakistani players for the last few days. They are good but they need hard training and exposure which are very important if you want to meet international demands in this era,” Hamid told ‘The News’ in an exclusive interview from Islamabad.

Hamid was coach of Iran’s second senior volleyball team. He also served as coach of the Maldives, Nepal and clubs in Germany, Denmark, Dubai and Lebanon.

Pakistan has hired his services for six months. He is a level-III coach with vast experience in the field.

Pakistan may extend his contract if he proves his potential.

Hamid said that he was working hard on the fitness of the players. “The fitness level of the players needs improvement. I found the players playing on old patterns. Now-a-days the systems change frequently. If you want to impress in international circuit you will have to see all these things and plan accordingly. I am preparing them on new patterns. I know there are some weak areas on which I have focussed,” Hamid added.

The immediate targets of Pakistan team are the Islamic Games and 2018 World Championship qualifiers.

The Islamic Games will be held in Azerbaijan capital Baku from May 12-22.

The World Championship qualifiers are expected to be conducted in Kyrgyzstan in late May or June.

Hamid plans to take his side to Iran ahead of the Islamic Games for a few practice matches. “I plan to take Pakistan team to Tehran so that we could play a few practice matches with the Iran national team and from there we will go to Baku. After the Islamic Games, we will directly proceed to Kyrgyzstan,” Hamid added.

A senior official of the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) told this correspondent that because of the Islamic Games, he had filed a request for changing the dates of the world qualifiers.

The official said that now May 26-28 were the tentative dates for the qualifiers. The schedule would be confirmed in a couple of days, he said.

Besides Pakistan, hosts Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan will be the other teams in the qualifiers.

The winners of the phase will qualify for the second phase.

In the Islamic Games, Pakistan have been placed in Group A with hosts Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Turkey and Palestine.

The Group B carries Iran, Qatar, Algeria, Saudi Arabia and Morocco.

Two top teams from each group will qualify for the semi-finals.

About Pakistan’s chances in these assignments, Hamid said that he expected his charges to put in their best. “I am working hard on the boys and I am very confident that the boys will live up to the expectations in Baku and Kyrgyzstan,” Hamid said.

“Our group in Islamic Games is not easy. Turkey is a strong side and has played in European League. Azerbaijan team is also good. But we also have a chance,” he said.

Hamid said that he had 16 players in the camp in Islamabad. He said 12 players would be finalised for the international assignments.

He also revealed that he was desperately looking for an analyst ahead of the two international assignments. “There are several fine analysts working in Iran. Farooqui is one of them. He is these days working with the Iran team. It will be good if we are able to take him to Baku and Kyrgyzstan,” Hamid added. The country’s top player Naseer Ahmed is expected to lead Pakistan on these assignments.