PHF meeting today to discuss future of team management

KARACHI: PHF high officials will gather again in Lahore on Tuesday (today) to discuss various issues, including the future of Pakistan team’s management keeping in mind the performance in World Cup qualifying round recently held in London.

Sources said that the PHF officials had met in Islamabad last week and discussed the poor performance of Pakistan team. Pakistan team is to appear in Asia Cup 2017 in Bangladesh and then World Cup in 2018.

The sources said that PHF is under pressure to make changes to the team management as soon as possible because the new management will need some time to make plans and implement them.

The sources said that PHF wanted the team management to resign because it had given full authority to it to prepare the team but it failed to meet expectations. “When you lose with margins of 7-1, 6-1, 6-0 and 4-1, it means you have failed. The team didn’t show any major improvement,” a source said.

“Pakistan qualified for the World Cup 2018 because of the format of the event. Otherwise two wins were not enough for qualification,” he said. Pakistan conceded 28 goals and scored only nine in the qualifying round.

“Out of 19 penalty corners, Pakistan scored only one goal and that was indirect. It means that defenders, goalkeepers, forwards, penalty corners all failed,” said the source.  The role of the selection committee will also be discussed in the meeting.

Rasheed Junior, chairman of selection committee, will also participate in the meeting. Rasheed Junior always avoids facing media and commenting on the selection process. The top brass, including president Brig Khalid Khokhar and secretary Shahbaz Ahmed are expected to take some drastic measures.

Head coach Khwaja Junaid has not yet submitted his report pertaining to the team’s performance in London. The meeting will continue for a couple of days in Lahore. PHF’s top brass will also meet former Olympians to get their input.