Tanvir not allowed to leave with team for Doha

KARACHI: Pakistan football team’s coach Mohammed Shamlan refused to allow assistant coach Tanvir Ahmed on Monday to fly out of Lahore for Doha with the team as he had reached the Punjab capital from his hometown Faisalabad a bit late, ‘The News’ has reliably learnt.
Tanvir had fallen ill and had been hospitalised for one day when he was in Thailand with the team preparing for the World Cup qualifiers against Yemen last week. Shamlan had told Tanvir to consult the doctor after returning to Pakistan and also meet with his family in Faisalabad.
On March 8 Tanvir went to Faisalabad to meet his family and consult the doctor. But Tanvir was also facing a serious family issue and had to appear in a court on Monday.
Tanvir tried to contact assistant coach Hassan Baloch to inform him that he might be late but Hassan did not receive the call as he had left his cell phone in his room and gone to Beaconhouse National University with the team.
Tanvir phoned team manager Mohammad Asghar who told him that Shamlan was very angry.
Tanvir then reached the PFF’s headquarters in Lahore on the same day at 5:30pm. At that time Pakistan team was playing a friendly game at the City School. Tanvir, while standing outside the school, called Asghar but he again told Tanvir that the coach was very angry.
Tanvir went to Lahore Airport on Monday night with the team. Shamlan told Tanvir that he should have contacted him if he had any issue. Afterwards, Shamlan told Tanvir to go back, and he would call him.
A senior official of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was also present at the airport, but did not interfere because it was a disciplinary issue.
Tanvir admitted that he had made a mistake. “It was my mistake that I did not contact Shamlan directly,” Tanvir told ‘The News’. “Besides my ailment, there was a serious family issue that caused the delay. I was also unlucky that Hassan had left the cell phone in his room,” said Tanvir.
“I took it lightly but Shamlan is a true professional and took it seriously. Shamlan is justified because he has done a lot of hard work on the team. It would be a great breakthrough if our side managed to beat Yemen in the qualifiers,” Tanvir said.
Pakistan face Yemen in the first leg at Hammad Stadium on Thursday (tomorrow). The second leg will be staged at Lahore on March 17.