PHF congress elects Khokhar as Shahnaz resigns

ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Thursday elected Brig (Retd) Khalid Sajjad Khokar as its new president in its congress held in Islamabad.
National senior team head coach Shahnaz Sheikh resigned on the occasion.
Talking to media after unanimously getting vote of confidence from the PHF’s congress, Khokhar said Rs100 million was the minimum that PHF needed to overcome initial crisis.
He said that he was not in a position to say which office-bearer would be retained. “I have to see the previous performance of all before deciding on the future of these office-bearers,” he said.
The PHF president added that he was in no mood to make tall claims. “What I can guarantee you is that every effort will be made to keep the things transparent. I will only follow merit as I know well that if the head of a body keeps merit aside, it will be close to impossible to get the required results,” he said.
He said that he had listened to congress members’ grievances and would try to resolve them. “Give me some time so that I could make efforts to help hockey take solid roots at club and district levels,” he said.
Khokhar said Shahnaz was a great player, “but sadly he failed to deliver as a coach.”
He also said that a fresh set of coaches for the junior team would be announced shortly. “Give me three to four days and I will come up with a decision on the junior team management and new selection committee,” he said.
He said he would take all the former hockey stalwarts and players in confidence. “I was part of the hockey system that produced so many stalwarts in mid-eighties. My efforts will be to take all the former hockey players along,” he said.
Khokhar brushed off all rumours of the PHF head office shifting to Islamabad.
“The management decisions will be made in two to three days,” he said.
The new president made it clear he was not in favour of hiring foreign coaches. “We have a lot of talented coaches in Pakistan and coaches will be selected from here,” he said.
He said travelling and daily allowance would be given to all the participating members as soon as the PHF got the money.
He said amendments would be made to the PHF constitution.
During the meeting it was noted that many outsiders accompanied some of the PHF officials.
The meeting was attended by 86 members out of 108.
Talking to reporters, Shahnaz said that he did whatever he could for the betterment of the team.
He said that under his stewardship Pakistan played four tournaments and played final of three of them, including the Asian Games and the Champions Trophy.
PHF secretary Rana Mujahid was also present on the occasion but he chose not to address the members, saying only it was “the (new) president’s day to speak not mine”.