KARACHI: Pakistan inched closer to signing a long-term contract with Paul Lissek on Saturday when their hockey chiefs held an extensive meeting with the famed German coach in Lahore.
Though a top Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) official told ‘The News’ that it was just ‘an initial’ meeting, it is pretty apparent that Lissek is the favourite to take over the new national coach in the aftermath of the Greenshirts’ disastrous last-place finish in the World Cup last month.
“We had a detailed meeting with Paul Lissek today,” said Asif Bajwa, the PHF secretary. “It was an initial meeting. We are still weighing our options and will take a final decision regarding the appointment of a new coach soon,” he added.
Bajwa said that the PHF chiefs will meet or hold telephonic interviews with two more candidates for the job within the next few days before appointing a new coach “within the next ten days”. However, he refused to divulge the names of the other two options being considered by the PHF. “I can’t tell you their names. But I can tell you that one of them is from Australia while the other one is from Netherlands,” he said.
Bajwa said that Lissek came to Pakistan just for the meeting with him and PHF president Qasim Zia. “He has returned home after presenting us with his future plans. We’ve discussed several issues with us. It was quite a positive meeting,” he said.
Bajwa said that the PHF wants to hire a coach ahead of the national training camp which will get underway from April 21 in preparation for next month’s Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia.
“We want to have a coach before the start of the camp so that he can have enough time to prepare the team for the Azlan Shah Cup,” he said referring to the Ipoh event to be played from May 6-16.
Bajwa refused to confirm that Lissek, who was offered the job last month, is having second thoughts about the job because of the security situation in the country.
“It’s too premature to comment on such issues,” he said. “We do have to sort out a few things but I’m confident that we will soon hire the best possible coach for our team.”
Lissek, who is credited for Germany’s rise as one of the most successful hockey nations during a long stint back in the nineties, was initially reluctant to come and coach in Pakistan but later conveyed his willingness to take over as the country’s head coach. According to sources, he did have a few second thoughts about taking up the assignment after the March 12 serial blasts in Lahore that made headlines around the world.
Pakistan are interested in Lissek because he is supposed to be the best coach around when it comes to improving a team’s defence — one area in which the Greenshirts really need a lot of improvement.
Lissek, known as the ‘mathematician’ in world hockey circles, helped Australia win last month’s World Cup in New Delhi by unlocking the defensive Germans, who had denied Aussies the title in the previous two editions of the World Cup. The German served as Malaysia’s head coach for several years and almost signed a contract to work with India a couple of years back.
Source: http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=232441
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