Volleyball woes

Pakistan once again failed to finish among the top teams in the 20th Asian Men’s Volleyball Championship which concluded in Tehran a few days ago. Hosts Iran won the event for the third time, outclassing Australia in straight sets in the final.

Pakistan finished at the seventh spot, beating India 3-2 in the 7th place play-off at the Azadi Sports Complex.

The turning point of the event that damaged Pakistan’s position was a 2-3 loss to Australia in the quarter-final. Pakistan lost that match despite taking 2-0 lead. Australia then went on to qualify for the final.

One of the biggest positives of Pakistan’s journey in Tehran was that by qualifying for the quarter-finals the nation also made it to the Asian Olympic Qualification round which will be held in China in early January. The winners from there will make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Pakistan have finished seventh or eighth in the Asian Championship. Pakistan’s best performance was way back in 1989 in Seoul, when they finished fourth.

In Tehran event, Pakistan’s seasoned player and skipper Aimal Khan was the top scorer with 153 points. He was followed by compatriot Murad with 131 points.

Why Pakistan have been unable to improve their position at the continental level is a big question. The authorities should find ways to resolve the issues which impede the nation’s growth in this sport.

Ask former Pakistan captain Naseer Ahmed and he will tell you where the problems lie and how these should be resolved.

“The biggest issue is that when a team settles down and catches rhythm then a problem emerges which destroys the whole tempo of the team,” Naseer told ‘The News on Sunday’ (TNS) in an interview.

“When Pakistan finished fourth in the Asian Championship in 1989 some issues surfaced which damaged the sport. Sometimes an issue of the federation harmed the sport and damaged the players. Look, building a team or a player takes time. A team cannot be made a fighting lot overnight. Sometimes a class player emerges, but his teammates do not perform well enough and that creates a big issue. It is a team event and a single player cannot lift the side alone. In our system there is no difference between senior and junior players,” Naseer said.

“We lack system at grassroots level. If you have a nursery which is producing a good player every year who is adjusted in the national team, that’s the best thing. When you adjust five to six players in the team at one stroke then the team will not produce the desired result. Divisional bodies are not working. Those who are working are just working on local basis and not on international and professional system. The issue is that old volleyball is being played in rural areas. When youngsters come to national camp or national team or a provincial team their IQ level is zero. They don’t know the international rules and regulations. When they come to know about international rules and regulations they have passed their prime and their learning capacity has declined,” said Naseer.

He stressed the need for a professional league in Pakistan which according to him is the only way to put the sport on the right track. “Unless we have a solid professional league we cannot grow in the sport. Those players who have played volleyball for long have either played professional leagues or have a certain setup which supports their finances. Money is absolutely necessary for an individual. How can an international player survive who does not have any means of regular income! Without money an international player cannot maintain his status. With professional leagues, players will start earning money, interest will develop at the local level and youth will be motivated and they will try to play the sport at the highest level,” Naseer said.

“Look, we don’t even give enough time to foreign coaches due to financial issues. First of all I don’t want Pakistan to have a foreign coach. Yes, there should be foreign trainers for the team and we should task former professional and experienced players to work with them. The federation should manage coaching courses opportunities for former players and qualified analysts should be prepared. Sometimes, the federation manages such courses for former top players but they are not hired, which creates a problem,” Naseer pointed out.

“Now come to Iranian Hamid Movahedi. He did well during his two-year stint as Pakistan’s coach. But in two years a foreign coach cannot even know about our system, our players. Movahedi’s contract expired and a Korean coach came. And a big issue with him is that he does not know English. An interpreter, who is usually unprofessional, cannot explain to the boys the advice of the coach in the right way and this communication gap hurts the team’s performance,” Naseer said.

He praised Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) chairman Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob for the way he has kept volleyball alive despite numerous issues. “Had Yaqoob sahib not been there volleyball would have died long ago. State is not funding the federation. A tour costs the federation around Rs5 million. If the team is sent abroad four or five times in a year, how could such a big amount be generated? The PVF also pays coach and foreign analyst and I think without state and corporate sector’s massive input it is difficult to promote the sport and compete with the world,” he said.

Naseer also stressed that before fielding the team in any major event the players should practise in a big hall. “You know we lack big balls and often our players train in small halls. In small halls the air-pressure is less and the speed of the ball is more than it is in a big hall. If you play in open the speed of the ball decreases further because of more air-pressure. These are technical things. In my view a team should practise in a big hall for around a month before embarking on a tour for featuring in any event. Before the recently concluded Asian event our players did not get exposure and that affected the team’s performance in Tehran. The team should have toured abroad for a few practice matches which were absolutely necessary for achieving goals in any competitive event,” said Naseer, who retired from international volleyball last year.

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