LAHORE: The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), following in footsteps of other hockey-playing nations, has decided not to appoint the national selection committee to make senior and junior teams coaches more independent.

Hockey and football coaches across the world are having authority to select teams on their own, but in Pakistan a national selection committee has always been part of the PHF.

The PHF executive board will hold a meeting on Oct 24 to discuss among others things fate of the national selection committee and its members.

Dawn has learnt that most members of the PHF executive board are against continuation of the selection committee, claiming that without the committee a coach will be fully responsible for the performance of national senior and junior teams.

Furthermore, the coach in this case will be liable to answer questions for any failure of the team.

It is to be noted that presently if there is a failure, coaches and selectors seek to put responsibility on each other resulting in more woes for the Pakistan hockey.

However, there is also an opinion that it is better to keep current selectors by giving them other roles in the PHF.

Chief selector Hanif Khan is most likely to take new job of a coaching panel.

It is pertinent to mention that one of the members of the current selection committee namely Arshad Chaudhry had already suggested to the PHF during the London Olympics that head coach should be empowered to select the team according to his own choice and there is no need for a selection committee.

Arshad is also an advocate of raising a new-look strong team in the lead-up to the World Cup which is the prime target of Qasim Zia-led PHF.

Moreover, Akhtar Rasool Chaudhry who is the only candidate for the post of head coach may not continue with the PHF as there are reports that he may join the PML-N in near future.