New coach to stay away from selection: PHF

KARACHI: In an attempt to avoid a rift between the newly-appointed foreign coach and the selection committee, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has made it clear that Michel Van Den Heuvel will have no role in selecting the team.

The PHF Secretary Asif Bajwa said the former Dutch national coach has only been given the responsibility to train the players and that team selection does not fall in his domain.

“The coach is only responsible for training and to get the best out of the players made available to him,” Bajwa told The Express Tribune.

Heuvel, who joined the squad on Monday in the training camp being set up for the tour of Europe, had earlier indicated that he wanted a say in the selection matters and said he would speak to the PHF officials to clear his role regarding it. Heuvel’s remarks had irked chief selector Hanif Khan who threatened to quit the selection committee, that also includes Olympian Muhammad Usman, Arshad Chaudhry and Musadaq Hussain, if such a move was to take place.

“I’ve already told the PHF that I’ll quit if the coach refuses to accept the selection committee’s decision or interfere in selection matters,” Khan had warned after Heuvel’s comments.

Bajwa, clearing the differences between the two parties, confirmed that it was only the PHF-nominated selectors who had the right to select the national squad.

“We have a selection committee and it will continue to work the way it did before Heuvel’s arrival. Everything is crystal clear and there are no misunderstandings. The coach will perform his duty and selection committee will remain within its limits.”

The Pakistan team for the European tour is expected to be named in the first week of July.

Published in The Express Tribune, June  24^th, 2010.