Football: Serb’s appointment a waste of money say senior Pakistan players
Footballers skeptical of Milosavljevic’s role, want investment in infrastructure.
KARACHI:
Senior players have termed the appointment of Serbian coach Zavisa Milosavljevic as ‘a waste of money and effort’ and instead asked the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to invest in infrastructure and facilities for the development of the game.
The PFF hired Milosavljevic on a two-year contract and his first assignment will be to prepare the team for the Saff Cup that will be played next month.
The Serb has also taken over the supervision of the camp from former coach Tariq Lutfi where 22 players, all from the under-23 squad, are in training.
According to Wapda striker Arif Mehmood, who played for Pakistan against Malaysia and Palestine earlier this year, a new coach can only train the team to a certain extent and the PFF needed to invest in facilities and infrastructure.
“By the time these foreign coaches understand the crux of the matter, it’s time for them to go,” Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “The biggest problem with Pakistan football is that there are no facilities for the players. The appointment of a foreign coach can only make sense if we have everything else in place.
“We’ve had foreign coaches before as well but none of them worked for us.”
Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Essa Khan said that only time will tell of the team’s progress under Milosavljevic. On the other hand, Lutfi has refused to assist Milosavljevic, saying that he cannot work with a foreign coach.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2011.
Senior players have termed the appointment of Serbian coach Zavisa Milosavljevic as ‘a waste of money and effort’ and instead asked the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to invest in infrastructure and facilities for the development of the game.
The PFF hired Milosavljevic on a two-year contract and his first assignment will be to prepare the team for the Saff Cup that will be played next month.
The Serb has also taken over the supervision of the camp from former coach Tariq Lutfi where 22 players, all from the under-23 squad, are in training.
According to Wapda striker Arif Mehmood, who played for Pakistan against Malaysia and Palestine earlier this year, a new coach can only train the team to a certain extent and the PFF needed to invest in facilities and infrastructure.
“By the time these foreign coaches understand the crux of the matter, it’s time for them to go,” Mehmood told The Express Tribune. “The biggest problem with Pakistan football is that there are no facilities for the players. The appointment of a foreign coach can only make sense if we have everything else in place.
“We’ve had foreign coaches before as well but none of them worked for us.”
Meanwhile, former Pakistan captain Mohammad Essa Khan said that only time will tell of the team’s progress under Milosavljevic. On the other hand, Lutfi has refused to assist Milosavljevic, saying that he cannot work with a foreign coach.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2011.