KARACHI: Austrian football coach George Kottan will land in Lahore today (Thursday) to appear before a panel of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to discuss his contract, a top official of the federation told 'The News' on Wednesday.
"Kottan's wife told me on phone yesterday that he has left for Pakistan and most probably he will reach Lahore today," the secretary of the PFF Col Ahmad Yar Khan Lodhi told 'The News' on Wednesday.
Sources said that negotiations about the contract terms and conditions with the Austrian coach have already been made and the coach is willing to work with the PFF on a annual remuneration of US$ 75,000 besides other benefits which the federation had offered to the Hungarian coach Bertalan Bicskei few days back.
'The News' learnt that both the parties (the PFF and Kottan) have almost agreed and are more likely to enter into a deal. The PFF is looking determined to make everything final with Kottan after his arrival and the foreigner will be asked immediately to shoulder the responsibility of supervising the national team camp currently in operation at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore in connection with the preparations for the Prime Minister Cup to be held in Nepal from March 5 to 15 and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup Qualifiers Group D matches to be hosted by Sri Lanka in April.
The 58-year old Kottan had played a laudable role during his association with Bangladesh as coach and had made the side able to win the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in 2003. After gifting the title to Bangladesh the coach had to quit his job because the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was unable to keep him any more due to financial constraints.
