PHF likely to hire goalkeeping coach from Malaysia or Holland

KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) will hire the services of a foreign goalkeeping coach for the training of senior and junior teams’ goalkeepers, ‘The News’ has learnt.

It is likely that the coach will be from Malaysia or Holland and will be appointed ahead of the next training camp of the Greenshirts.

Informed sources said that PHF high-ups were seriously considering the appointment of a foreign goalkeeping coach.

Goalkeeping has been the weakest area for both senior and junior sides in recent events.

The sources said that PHF high officials and team management have agreed in principle that a foreign goalkeepiong coach and a physical instructor were the need of the hour.

Pakistan are to compete in Asia Cup 2022, Commonwealth Games 2022, and some other major events. They will also appear in Asian Games 2023.

The PHF will announce the programme of goalkeepers’ training soon. It is likely to start near the end of this month.

It is expected that goalkeepers from the senior and junior teams and some selected from domestic competitions will be part of the training camp.

The performance of Pakistani goalkeepers in the Asian Champions Trophy last month and Junior World Cup 2021 exposed one of the main reasons of their poor standing in the world.

The senior team’s goalkeepers conceded 18 goals in six matches and the junior goalkeepers conceded 14 in five matches.

Pakistan seniors ended fourth in the five-team Asian Champions Trophy. The juniors finished 11th in the 16-team World Cup.

Amjad Ali and Mazhar Abbas were the goalkeepers of the senior team and Abdullah Ishtiaq and Waqar Younus were the main goalkeepers of the junior team.

The PHF made a lot of efforts to improve the performance of goalkeepers before these two big events by organising training camps and even a specialised coaching camp as Pakistan had been facing dearth of skillful goalkeepers for the last couple of years. But the desired results could not be achieved.

It has to be mentioned that PHF appointed former Olympian goalkeepers, including Shahid Ali Khan, late Mansoor Ahmed, Nasir Ahmed and then Ahmed Alam, but to no avail.

PHF has also appointed Rassie Piterese, a South African Olympian goalkeeper, for the training of Pakistani goalkeepers.