LAHORE, June 5: Chief selector Khawaja Zakauddin has claimed that he had chalked up a comprehensive plan, aiming to enable Pakistan to reach the victory stand in the Champions Trophy hockey tournament which would be held in Lahore in Dec.

Unfolding the plan at a press conference along with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Secretary Khalid Mahmood, former Olympian Zaka said training camps would be set up in seven cities from June 25 to July 31. The camps would be supervised by different coaches and in the end an 18-member team from each camp would compete in a tournament in Lahore in the first week of Aug.

“I do hope that eight to ten talented players from the whole exercise will be spotted, before the camp for the Champions Trophy,” Zaka said. “I believe the exercise will also strengthen the national team, enabling them to at least reach the victory stand in the Champions Trophy.”

He revealed that the camps would be held in Lahore (Naved Alam and Shafqat as coaches), Karachi (Hanif Khan, Nasim Mirza), Bahawalpur (Mutiaullah, Aamir Jalil), Bannu (Nasir Ali), Peshawar (Qamar Ibrahim, Irshad Hyder), Quetta (Abdul Rasheed, Amjad Pervez), and Faisalabad (Shahbaz Junior, Khalid Rasheed).

In Bannu, Zaka said Nasir would decide another coach for his assistance.

Zaka expressed though with other national selectors – Abdul Rasheed and Samiullah – he would visit all the seven camps, the coaches would be independent in conducting their camps, emphasising that the selection committee would not interfere.

Pakistan’s junior team could also be included in the tournament to make it an eight-team competition, he said.

“With eight competing teams it will be an easy job to divide the teams equally into two groups while the juniors will also get a real taste of competitive hockey,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Khalid Mahmood said the PHF President Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had approved Zaka’s programme after a detailed discussion.

“I hope we will meet the forthcoming challenge of the Champions Trophy after implementing this plan,” he opined.

On Pakistan junior team’s expected participation in an international tournament in Germany, Khalid disclosed that due to a late confirmation Pakistan juniors’ entry in the eight-nation event was in doldrums. However, he said the hosts had placed Pakistan as the first stand-byes, hoping Pakistan would be playing in Germany.

Asked why a late confirmation was sent, the secretary refused to make any comment.

“I can’t say who is responsible for the delay but I can assure you that it was not a PHF fault,” he stated.

The invitation from Germany to Pakistan juniors was important in the backdrop of the European countries’ decision of not inviting Pakistan and Indian senior teams to play any tournament there.

The PHF secretary, however, didn’t accept the Europeans had decided not to invite the two countries because of their poor standard.

“I can’t say the Europeans are not inviting us because of our declining standard,” he said.

The secretary said a local trainer for the national team would also be appointed.