KARACHI, Nov 8: After remaining tight-lipped for a month, former Pakistan hockey manager Abdul Rashid Jr broke the silence with a bang on Saturday, saying he quit because of inept PHF secretary running the show by taking arbitrary decisions.

“The situation is pathetic. The people at the helm of hockey affairs know nothing about the game. There is no system. I had said I would quit if I find things are not being handled in a professional manner which I finally did.

“I had submitted my resignation on Oct 1 to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). I don’t know why the secretary took three days to announce my decision,” he told Dawn.

Pakistan hockey, which has been in turmoil for the last three years, saw a fifth change in the manager when Rashid stepped down. Rashid was the third manager to quit voluntarily since July 5, 2000, when the present officials took over.

Rashid had replaced Shahnaz Sheikh who was forced to call it quits after being dragged into controversy by the PHF involving him and three national players who went abroad to play in league despite being refused permission by the top officials.

Surprisingly, PHF secretary Brig Musarrat Ullah Khan blames the managers for creating the crisis by leaving the team.

Rashid said it was time that changes in the team management should come to an end and Brig Musarrat should leave in the better interest in the game.

“I think now it is time that he (Musarrat) should go rather than changing or forcing the managers to quit. Pakistan hockey needs an administrator with a professional approach and high level of competence,” he opined.

The former manager said it all started in September when he realised that he was working with a bunch of incompetent officials when PHF called up defender Tariq Imran for Asia Cup camp despite being involved in misconduct.

Tariq had left the Champions Trophy training camp in Karachi without permission or even intimating the team management soon after the PHF named the squad.

The full-back not only escaped punishment, but also went to Hyderabad, India, as a member of the squad for the recently- concluded Afro-Asian Games.

“I had recommended to the PHF to take action against Tariq. But I was shocked when PHF invited him for the Asia Cup camp in Lahore, therefore, I did not let him train along with probables,” he said.

More shock was in store for Rashid when PHF announced the 44 probables for the Afro-Asian Games without his consultation while he was still in Kuala Lumpur with the team playing at Asia Cup.

“I was amazed to see a list of probables for the Afro-Asian Games in newspapers. I had also recommended to rest Mohammad Nadeem, Ahmad Alam, Sohail Abbas, Mudassir Ali for the Indian event. But the PHF included them too among the probables.

“I was the manager and have all the right to point out the players for the training camp. But PHF did not pay heed and took arbitrary decision by calling the players of its choice,” he said.

Rashid was bitter about the role chief selector Akhtar Rasool played during the Asia Cup. According to him, Akhtar instigated the players who were called back to bench by him during the tournament.

He charged Akhtar with pitting the senior players — goalkeeper Ahmad and defender Ali Raza — against him by sympathising them, saying the decision by Rashid to call them on bench was wrong.

“What he (Akhtar) did was disgusting. He was there just to watch the players, while I was the manager and it was my duty to field the players. He was trying to prepare the players for some sort of revolt against me. It was damaging to the sport and nothing else,” he said.

Rashid rued the policies of the PHF, saying it treated managers like trash, although he worked hard in the field, while chief selector and selectors, who only watched the players on offshore tours, enjoyed better monetary benefits.

“I was ashamed when I came to know that I was being paid $50 as daily allowance, while a selector was getting $80 and chief selector $120 per day. It was nothing but disgrace for me.

“Does PHF think manager is trash and chief selector and selectors, who hardly watch players during the training camps, are superior,” he questioned.

For Rashid sending the chief selector on foreign trips is a sheer waste of money as he said Akhtar must have made some four of five trips till now.

Rashid said while the PHF was showering money on the chairman and the members of the selection committee it had refused to pay players their daily allowance during the Asia Cup camp.

“PHF had refused to give players daily allowance by arguing they are staying at hotel and not at the stadium which was an absurd argument. The boys finally got their allowance after my contentions and recommendations,” he said.

Rashid suggested since PHF had hired a Dutch coach for the national squad, it should also follow the European selection system by abolishing the selection committee and giving sweeping powers to the coach.