The task is highly challenging and demanding, however, it is unfortunate that the three-time Olympic champions, Pakistan, do not seem to have the potential to achieve the desired goal even under expert handling of Dutch coach, Michel van den Heuvel, who is on his first foreign coaching assignment.

Pakistan won the Olympic gold for the third time, way back in 1984, in the Los Angles games. Almost a decade later, Farooq Omer, then head of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, hired the first Dutch coach; Hans Jorritsma, under whose expert handling Pakistan regained the 1994 World Cup in Sydney after the lapse of 12 years and also regained the Champions Trophy in Lahore the same year. It took no less than 14 years for Pakistan to win back the trophy for the third time in Lahore. Then almost eight months before the 2004 Athens Olympics, the PHF hired another Dutch coach named Oltman and Pakistan finished in the fifth place. Four years later, Pakistan was relegated to eighth place in the 2008 Olympics trained by a Pakistani coach.

Today, Pakistan hockey is at its lowest ebb and a solid proof of that was the way we performed and finished right at the bottom in the 12-nation World Cup held in New Delhi this February. Pakistan was also disqualified from the 2011 Champions Trophy owing to its below average performance at the Challenges Cup, which left the entire nation in a state of shock.

A group of former Olympians held demonstrations against Pakistan's humiliating performance in various parts of the country for the removal of Secretary Asif Bajwa, who was touring with the national team as their manager. They also launched a media campaign against hiring international coaches, for according to them, it would reflect poorly on the capabilities of the Pakistani coaches. Resultantly, PHF president Qasim Zia sacked chief-coach Shahid Ali Khan and manager Asif Bajwa, who was also the secretary of the federation. The Federal Ministry of Sports, however, took serious notice of the World Cup debacle and hired Dutch coach Michel, despite their campaigns. Australian coaches Bary Dancer and German coach Paul Lissek were also interviewed for the spot, but they were reluctant due to security concerns.

Michel joined the national camp on June 21 at the Hockey Club of Pakistan for the selection of the Pakistan team for the upcoming European tour. However, after the European tour trails are over in Karachi, Hyderabad, Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta, the coach should watch the boys along with the selection committee to further broaden the base of selection in rebuilding a winning combination for the London Olympics.

Coach Michel has also coached Netherlands at one point, who gave a much improved performance by securing bronze medals and finishing third in the New Delhi World Cup. According to media reports Michel would soon be provided with supporting staff, which includes physical trainers, weight training and mental training experts as well as a goal keeping coach.

In his very short media briefing at the Hockey Club Pakistan, after finishing his first day training the probables, Michel said his major target is the 2012 London Olympics and the European tour is part of the training. Now there is tremendous hard work ahead for the players to raise their fitness levels as well as their approach to the game.

One should accept the bitter truth that our coaches are not qualified enough to raise a world class team. Unquestionably, the team would benefit immensely under a foreign coach because engaging a foreign coach would also help in selecting the best players on merit, as coach Michel would not succumb to any sort of pressure for selecting an undeserving player at the cost of a merited one, as is a custom in Pakistan.