Tariq Hussain Bugti, the newly-appointed Pakistan Hockey Federation chief, has started the restoration work: The national selection committee headed by Kaleemullah and the national team’s coaching staff led by Shahnaz Sheikh is back.
It marks the end for the selection committee led by Asif Bajwa while Dutchman Roelant Oltmans, who was supervising the national team’s camp in Rawalpindi for the upcoming Olympic qualifiers, will leave without being at the helm for a single game in his second tenure as head coach.
It remains to be seen how retired Brig Khalid Sajjad Khokhar, who was replaced by Tariq on the orders of the Prime Minister last week, reacts to the decisions.
Khokhar has vowed he will fight his removal but former Olympian Samiullah said that he should accept the decision of the premier and let the new PHF management to work for the betterment of the national game.
“Pakistan Hockey Federation President Mir Tariq Hussain Bugti has made significant decisions upon assuming office at the PHF headquarters,” the PHF said in a statement on Monday.
“The former national hockey selection committee, under the chairmanship of Olympian Kaleemullah, has been reinstated. National senior hockey team management, led by Head Coach Shahnaz Sheikh, has also been restored.
Instructions have been issued to PHF Executive Secretary Ali Abbas to take charge of his responsibilities, and Olympian Khalid Bashir has been appointed as the Director Administration.“The members of the restored selection committee are Nasir Ali, Rahim Khan and Laek Lashari. Be-sides Shahnaz Sheikh, the previous senior team’s management which was also restored is Olympian Shakeel Abbasi, Olympian Dilawar Hussain, and international Amjad Ali [as coaches]. Physical trainer Mohammad Imran will fulfill his responsi-bilities, while the appointment of a video analyst will be decided later.
