Pak hockey team to have new coach, captain

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will enter the forthcoming Asian Hockey Champions Trophy with new set of management as besides having new coach, the team is expected to have a new captain.

Rizwan Senior, who skippered the team during the Asian Games, is expected to be replaced either by goalkeeper Imran Butt or defender Mohammad Irfan. Reports emerging from Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) revealed that Rizwan had some discipline issues during his stay as the captain during Asiad.

“Rizwan is expected to be replaced by Imran Butt who is favourite to take over team captaincy for the Asian Champions Trophy,” a PHF source said.

Pakistan team is already being trained by new head coach Hasan Sardar as 64-year-old Roelant Oltmans joined Malaysian hockey after resigning from Pakistan job.

“Oltmans used PHF platform for a better contract. He promised to coach Pakistan team till the November-December World Cup but left the job prematurely. He has used PHF for his personal gains and the federation had no clue as what he was doing,” Khalid Bashir, the 1994 World Cup winning fullback, said.

He blamed PHF officials for total mismanagement ahead of every international event. “I think it is the PHF that is responsible for total chaos. Players were supported to stage strike ahead of the Asian Games. Now Oltmans left the Pakistan hockey high and dry just weeks ahead of Asian Champions Trophy and World Cup. Whatever results we get the onus is on PHF,” he said.

‘The News’ has learnt that Oltmans will get around $12,000 per month in Malaysia while he was getting $8,000 in Pakistan. However, he earlier had confirmed his association with the PHF till World Cup.