PFF should expand coaching staff: Nasir

KARACHI: Former Pakistan assistant coach Nasir Ismail on Sunday said that Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) should induct a few more coaches into the support staff of the Brazilian coach Jose Antonio Nogueira who is supervising the national team camp in Lahore in connection with preparations for Asian Games and SAFF Cup.

“Currently Nogueira has only two assistant coaches, Mohammad Habib and Mohammad Essa, with Shehzad Anwar as coordinator. There are around two dozen AFC Licence A coaches in Pakistan. It would be appropriate if at least three of them were added to Nogueira’s support staff. It would enable these coaches to learn from Nogueira,” Nasir told ‘The News’.

“And the second thing is that a Brazilian trainer Jose Portella is also there in the camp. So if you have more coaches in the camp it will help them also witness how the Brazilian trainer works for the fitness of the players and so they will learn more things,” Nasir said.

He also said that Nogueira should mainly focus on the SAFF Cup. “Pakistan has hired the services of Nogueira for the senior team and it would be better if he focused on SAFF Cup and trained the senior side instead of the under-23 side which will take part in the Asian Games,” he said. Nasir asked PFF if there was no one among the 20 to 25 Licence A coaches who could be given the charge of the under-23 team.

He said three coaches should be sent with the under-23 side and three with the SAFF Cup side. “Mohammad Essa has no experience of coaching with the national team so he should be sent with the under-23 side,” Nasir said.

About the induction of former Pakistan captain Jaffar Khan as one of the three goalkeeping coaches, Nasir said it was good to groom Jaffar as he had rendered great services for Pakistan as a goalkeeper.

He said that it was a mistake not to pick international defender Noor Mengal of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC). “He was part of Pakistan’s under-23 squad under Bahraini coach Mohammad Shamlan. He has switched over to SSGC from K-Electric and is a good player,” Nasir said.

He also reacted strongly to ignoring some highly experienced players, saying: “If veteran Mohammad Rasool and Mohammad Ahmed have been called up for the camp why not international striker Shakir Lashari, who is a much better player? NBP’s keeper Mohammad Omar has also been left out. He is one of the three top keepers of Pakistan. The best player and best goalie of National Challenge Cup are in the camp but the leading scorer Nazeer Khan of Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has not been called up which is unjust,” Nasir pointed out.