KARACHI: Tahir Zaman has been appointed as the head coach of the Pakistan hockey team ahead of the Asian Champions Trophy. Zaman, a former Olympian, will join the team in Hulunbuir city, China, where the tournament will begin on 8th September.
The urgent appointment was necessitated after Roelant Oltmans declined to accept another short-term assignment from the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). Oltmans, who had been overseeing the Pakistan team as head coach in their last two international events, was scheduled to join the team directly in China. However, he demanded a long-term contract at the last moment.
“Tahir Zaman will now oversee the technical aspects and planning of the team as head coach while Zeeshan has been appointed as team manager for this tournament,” a PHF official said.
Zaman, a popular player during his career, has previously coached the national junior team and holds a master’s degree in coaching from the FIH. He was a member of the Pakistan team that won the bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics, as well as the World Cup and Champions Trophy in 1994.
The PHF official attributed the delays in releasing funds for the tournament by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to the existing problems.
There had been a falling out between team captain Ammad Shakeel Butt and some players with the assistant coaches – Zeeshan Ashraf and Usman. However, the PHF official denied any rift, stating that the team is united and ready for the tournament, which also features a match against arch-rivals India on 14th September. Korea, China, Japan, and Malaysia are the other teams competing in the tournament.