The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has decided to retain Tariq Lutfi as the head coach despite the national team’s unsuccessful run in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers, until the federation finds a foreign coach for the side.
Pakistan had lost the first-leg of the qualifiers against Bangladesh 3-0, while they failed to score in the goalless second-leg encounter in Lahore on Sunday, as the visitors progressed to the second round of the qualifiers.
PFF Secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi termed the team’s performance disappointing as it failed to take advantage of home conditions.
“We missed five chances in the first half, any other team would have availed them,” Lodhi told The Express Tribune. “But that does not mean that we are going to let people go because of the defeat. Success has a hundred fathers while failure is an orphan, so I can’t blame Lutfi or anyone else entirely for not progressing to the second round of the qualifiers.
“Right now Lutfi is our best option. We will retain him until we find a foreign coach.”
Lodhi confirmed that the PFF is short-listing names of some foreign coaches and one will be hired depending on the amount of funds the federation receives from the sports ministry.
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Jaffer Khan believes that the team was unlucky in the first-leg as the football pitch in Dhaka had favoured the hosts, while in the second match the forward-line failed to make chances throughout the match.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 5th, 2011.
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