LAHORE: National hockey coach and Olympian Farhat Khan has resigned from his post, citing other pressing assignments including his duties as a Customs official.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has started making efforts to hire his replacement, possibly a foreign coach, for the national team.

Talking to Dawn, Farhat confirmed that he had informed about his decision to the PHF President Brig. (retd.) Sajjad Khokhar who has accepted his decision and has relieved him.

“I have been promoted in my Customs department and finding it difficult to spare much time for coaching,” said Farhat. “But I am still available for the PHF for any other assignment for which I can spare time easily.”

Farhat was appointed as head coach in July this year in place of Khawaja Junaid after the dismal performance of the Pakistan team in the World Hockey League. Pakistan did manage to qualify for the next year’s World Cup but not on their performance but mainly due to the revised rules of FIH which increased the number of the participating countries from 12 to 16 in its 2018 edition, which will be held in India.

Farhat, during his stint with the team, however failed to perform any miracles. Pakistan finished at third place in the continental contest of Asia Cup held in Bangladesh last September .

“It is not an easy job to prepare a formidable team for international contests because although our players have the talent, they lack in commitment, passion and hard work which are the basic factors that could make help a team become world beaters,” Farhat said.

“But my best wishes are with the Pakistan team and hopefully the PHF will devise solid plans and strategies that could bring success for the team in the future,” Farhat said.

He said World Cup was not far away and efforts should be launched on war-footing to ensure the national team’s success in the mega event.

Meanwhile, when contacted PHF president Khokhar said he had accepted Farhat’s request to relieve him from the job and the federation would soon be annou­ncing the new set up of the team.

To a question, Sajjad said the PHF was considering some foreign coaches for the job and would announce the final name soon. “The PHF has been trying to put the national game on track and the decision on the next coach will be purely taken on merit,” he said.

When asked if the foreign coaches being considered for the job had coached any national team of any country in the past, the PHF president said at this moment he could not disclose any information as nothing had been finalised.

To a question he admitted that a high-profile coach was essential to take guard of the national team and hopefully the PHF would soon done a deal with a suitable one.

There are reports that former captain of German hockey team Christine Blunck has also been approached and is most likely to be the next head coach of Pakistan hockey team.

Blunck led the German team to a gold medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. However, he has never coached any team from any country but as a player he enjoyed a very good reputation.

Blunck had toured Pakistan in May last year to meet the hockey players who had played during his playing days in the 1990s, among them current the PHF secretary Shahbaz Ahmad, Tahir Zaman and many others. Blunck visited Lahore on the invitation of Shahbaz Senior.

Published in Dawn, December 19th, 2017