Holland’s Aikman to coach Pak hockey teams

KARACHI: Holland’s Siegfried Aikman has been roped in to coach both senior and junior hockey teams of Pakistan, sources said.

He reached Pakistan along with the junior team from India on Tuesday. He watched the matches of Pakistan in the Junior Hockey World Cup 2021.

Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) had been talking to him for coaching the Pakistan team for the last couple of months, PHF sources told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

Informed sources said that he would coach both senior and junior teams, and go with Pakistan seniors to Dhaka where the Greenshirts would participate in Asian Hockey Championship from December 14-22.

The PHF sources said that Siegfried Aikman called on PHF president Brig (rtd) Khalid Sajjad Khokhar and finalised the details of his coaching assignment.

Sources said that he would join the senior team’s coaching and training camp in Lahore.

The PHF sources said that Pakistan needed a foreign coach who had a sound background in coaching at international level. They said that Pakistan hockey suffered a lot in the recent past due to Covid. A huge gap has emerged between Pakistan and other strong hockey teams.

Pakistan are 17th in the world currently, the lowest in history. Aikman guided Japan to successes in the last couple of years, including in the Asian Games.