Former Olympian Samiullah appointed head coach of Pakistan hockey

Staff Report

LAHORE: Former legendary Olympian Samiullah Khan was appointed as the chief selector of the national team in a major decision taken by the ad-hoc regime of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) on Wednesday. Samiullah, known as Flying Horse for his extraordinary speed on the field, was made the head of team selection on the recommendation of the recently-formed PHF Professional Development Committee comprising former Olympians Hasan Sardar and Islahuddin Siddiqui, the PHF said in a press release. “This appointment is part of PHF’s broader strategy to revitalise hockey in Pakistan, focusing on grassroots development, high-performance training, and international competitiveness,” read the press release. “The PHF has outlined a comprehensive Hockey Roadmap, which includes establishing a new team structure with a selection committee, head coach, and support staff, creating a calendar of events for domestic and international competitions, technical education for coaches, umpires, and officials; talent hunt drives to identify and develop young players.”

The release added: “The PHF is also working to promote hockey at schools and colleges, revive inter-school and inter-collegiate competitions, and establish a high-performance centre to support the growth of the sport.” Mohyuddin Ahmad Wani, who was made the ad-hoc PHF chief after the federation president Tariq Hussain Bugti resigned recently, hoped Samiullah’s appointment would benefit Pakistan hockey significantly.

“We are committed to taking Pakistan hockey to new heights,” Mohyuddin said. “With Samiullah at the helm as chief selector, we are confident that our national team will regain its glory. The PHF looks forward to working with stakeholders, including sponsors and the hockey fraternity, to implement its roadmap and restore Pakistan’s status as a hockey powerhouse,” he added. Samiullah’s appointment comes after Pakistan hockey experienced a huge chaos – that resulted in the resignation of Bugti – earlier this month in the backdrop of the off-the-field problems the national team allegedly faced on their recently-concluded tour of Australia. The green-shirts participated in the FIH Pro League second leg on the tour. The team management, led by head coach Tahir Zaman, was also replaced as a result of this disaster.

Meanwhile, the newly-appointed chief selector set two-pronged targets for the national team — first reaching the top ten FIH ranking and then grooming the U-19 team that could represent Pakistan in the next two years. Samiullah, a two-time World Cup winner, said that he had accepted the post of chief selector with an open heart, he was quoted as saying. “I accepted the offer considering the new PHF management is sincere for uplifting national hockey and it can resolve all financial problems of the players,” Samiullah said. When asked to share his vision about raising the standard of the Pakistan team, Samiullah sounded precise.

“Our first target is to bring Pakistan among the world’s top ten countries in the first phase and then in the top eight. At least four years are required to achieve this aim,” he said. The FIH Pro League was the way to get the above mentioned target, he maintained. “The team’s participation in the Pro Hockey League is a pathway to achieve this target, though it is expensive but it is the only way forward,” Samiullah stated. “The Pro League is the platform from which Pakistan will face higher-ranked opponents, and this can help to improve the skill set of our players.”

In the second phase, the 74-year-old underlined, work to develop the national junior team will be done at a rapid pace. “In the second phase, the PHF has to work with high speed in order to form the national junior team to produce talented players who can replace the members of the current senior team within two years,” Samiullah said. To a question, Samiullah said that he would include the best members in his selection committee from across the major cities. Speaking on the financial problems faced by the national team players, he said that the issue would be resolved and hoped the government in this regard would assist the PHF. “In the past, due to paucity of funds the players’ financial problems multiplied as they kept complaining about not receiving even their daily allowances on time.” Answering a question, Samiullah said that the national team, which had reached Egypt to play the World Cup qualifying round there, had the talent to qualify for the World Cup. Top three finishers of the March 1-7 qualifier round in Egypt featuring eight countries will qualify for this year’s World Cup scheduled to be co-hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands.