by Ubaid-ur-Rehman Awan
KARACHI: Top officials of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) have been beating their own trumpet of hiring a foreign coach for the national hockey team, but since now, they have made no progress in this regard.
Secretary PHF, Asif Bajwa, admitted in an exclusive chat with awansports.blogspot.com on Wednesday that due to security reasons not even a single foreign coach is ready to work in Pakistan.
It’s interesting to note here that if such a situation persists then Pakistan will have to tour Europe with a Pakistani coach, just like they did in Malaysia for Sultan Azlan Shah Cup earlier this year.
Pakistan were once a power to reckon with in international field hockey and won number of tournaments including World Cup Titles along with Olympics, Champions Trophy, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and other important field hockey tournaments around the globe, but currently the national game is going through its worst phase.
Bajwa told that the PHF is still trying its level best to rope in an experienced foreign coach and is in the process of negotiations with two to three coaches.
He further stated that things would clear up only after June 10, 2010 and hoped that the Federation would be able to bring at least one foreign coach round to its point of view and attract him for Pakistan hockey job.
It is important to mention here that Pakistan stood at 12th position in this year’s World Cup held in New Delhi. Since then, the PHF are on the hunt for a foreign coach for the national hockey team.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
PFF appoints Jan Muhammad as Karachi Scrutiny Coordinator
LAHORE, May 31 (APP)- The Scrutiny of football clubs of five Zones of District Karachi will be held at various grounds from June 1-5. The PFF Scrutiny committee has appointed former Karachi Port Trust (KPT)’s Sports officer and Head coach of Mauripur Baloch FC during Salma Begum Soccer Series, Jan Muhammad to scrutinize the clubs of Karachi as Karachi Football Clubs Scrutiny Coordinator.
All the clubs who have submitted the Club Information and Data Performa to PPF through Sindh Football Association (SFA) are advised to attend the five-day Scrutiny Process with all their official/players and relevant documents as per schedule.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Vice President Syed Khadim Ali Shah said the main purpose of the scrutiny was to eliminate the bogus clubs. PFF is conducting Scrutiny of clubs under the directives of PFF’s President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, in order to keep alive active clubs in the PFF files and to improve Club culture in the football of Pakistan.
“ All the process of the Scrutiny would be based on merit and coaches working under AFC AID 27 Scheme and other qualified are being appointed to supervise it across the country”, said Khadim Shah who is also SVP of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
Jan Muhammad, Match Commissioner during Pakistan Premier Leagues and Super Football League, thanked Faisal Saleh Hayat for reposing confidence on him to act as scrutiny Coordinator of the sports-loving District comprised of lots of clubs and footballers, and the area that produced numerous internationals to various Pakistani teams.
He said the work of PFF chief since 2003 is praiseworthy and his efforts will take Pakistan to new height in this game. His tenure from 2003-2010 will be written in Golden years in entire 63-year history of national soccer body.
All the clubs who have submitted the Club Information and Data Performa to PPF through Sindh Football Association (SFA) are advised to attend the five-day Scrutiny Process with all their official/players and relevant documents as per schedule.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Vice President Syed Khadim Ali Shah said the main purpose of the scrutiny was to eliminate the bogus clubs. PFF is conducting Scrutiny of clubs under the directives of PFF’s President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat, in order to keep alive active clubs in the PFF files and to improve Club culture in the football of Pakistan.
“ All the process of the Scrutiny would be based on merit and coaches working under AFC AID 27 Scheme and other qualified are being appointed to supervise it across the country”, said Khadim Shah who is also SVP of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
Jan Muhammad, Match Commissioner during Pakistan Premier Leagues and Super Football League, thanked Faisal Saleh Hayat for reposing confidence on him to act as scrutiny Coordinator of the sports-loving District comprised of lots of clubs and footballers, and the area that produced numerous internationals to various Pakistani teams.
He said the work of PFF chief since 2003 is praiseworthy and his efforts will take Pakistan to new height in this game. His tenure from 2003-2010 will be written in Golden years in entire 63-year history of national soccer body.
Pakistan to play series against South Africa from Oct 27
KARACHI: Pakistan will play one T20, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two Test matches during a month-long series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in October/November this year.A spokesman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said on Monday that the series would be played from October 25 to November 25 at the Dubai Sports City Ground, in Dubai and the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Pakistan home series is being played in UAE because South Africa is not touring this country because security fears.
Commenting on the series PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said “I am very grateful to Dr. Mtutuzeli Nyoka and Gerald Majola for their understanding of our position and supporting us to make this even possible”.
“PCB and Cricket South Africa have worked hard to bring this event and we are very excited to be returning to the world class facilities in the UAE and look forward to a tough contest between the two sides,” he said.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Gerald Majola in his comments said “The Proteas always enjoy playing Pakistan, and CSA was glad to assist PCB and ensure this tour happened.
“We are especially delighted that the fans will get to see top flight cricket between these two teams.” he said.
Following is the schedule of the tour:
Oct. 25: Teams Arrival
Oct. 27 T20 International at Abu Dhabi
Oct. 29 1st ODI at Abu Dhabi
Oct. 31 2nd ODI at Abu Dhabi
Nov. 2 3rd ODI at Dubai
Nov. 5 4th ODI at Dubai
Nov. 8 5th ODI at Dubai
Nov.12-16 1st Test Match at Dubai
Nov.20-24 2nd Test Match at Abu Dhabi
Nov.25 team departure
Pakistan home series is being played in UAE because South Africa is not touring this country because security fears.
Commenting on the series PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt said “I am very grateful to Dr. Mtutuzeli Nyoka and Gerald Majola for their understanding of our position and supporting us to make this even possible”.
“PCB and Cricket South Africa have worked hard to bring this event and we are very excited to be returning to the world class facilities in the UAE and look forward to a tough contest between the two sides,” he said.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Gerald Majola in his comments said “The Proteas always enjoy playing Pakistan, and CSA was glad to assist PCB and ensure this tour happened.
“We are especially delighted that the fans will get to see top flight cricket between these two teams.” he said.
Following is the schedule of the tour:
Oct. 25: Teams Arrival
Oct. 27 T20 International at Abu Dhabi
Oct. 29 1st ODI at Abu Dhabi
Oct. 31 2nd ODI at Abu Dhabi
Nov. 2 3rd ODI at Dubai
Nov. 5 4th ODI at Dubai
Nov. 8 5th ODI at Dubai
Nov.12-16 1st Test Match at Dubai
Nov.20-24 2nd Test Match at Abu Dhabi
Nov.25 team departure
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Pakistan Army retains Inter-Services Boxing trophy
PESHAWAR: Sajjad Ali was declared best boxer as his team Pakistan Army retained Inter-Services Boxing trophy at PT School Abbottabad on Friday. Commandant Baloch Regimental Center Abbottabad Brig. Syed Khushnood Hussian was the chief guest on this occasion. Commandant PT School Center Col. Mohsin Ali, teams officials, players and game spectators were also present.
Pakistan Army grabbed a total of seven gold medals and three silver medals and retained the trophy while PAF won 3 gold, 5 silver medals and took runner-up trophy while Navy got 1 gold and three silver medals remained at third.
In the 48kg light fly weight final PAF Rashad Fateh won gold medal, followed by Saeed Hassan of Pakistan Army. In the 51kg final fly weight category Navy’ Asif Kachi won gold medal, followed by Rashid Hussian of Pakistan Army.
In 54kg bantam weight final Sajjad Ali of Pakistan Army defeated Ali Muhammad of Pakistan Navy and won gold medal. It was the best fight of the Championship as both Sajjad Ali and Ali Muhammad exhibited excellent display of skills.
In the 57kg feather weight category, final Abid Ali of PAF defeated Sheraz of Pakistan Navy. In the 60kg light weight category final Nawaz Dad of Pakistan Army beat Faheem Ahmad of PAF, in 64kg light welter weight category Olympian Fazale Karim beat Adnan of PAF and secured a knock-out bout victory.
In the 69kg welter weight Rashad Hussain of PAF won gold medal, followed by Qaiser of Pakistan Army. In the 75kg middle weight class Nisar Khan of Pakistan Army got gold medal by defeating Allah Dad of PAF.
A beautiful fight was also witnessed between Ahmad Ali of Pakistan Army and Yousaf of PAF in the 81kg light heavy weight class wherein Ahmad Ali won gold when he knocked-out Yousaf in the third round before facing tough time.
In the 91kg heavy weight Yasir Javed secured victory against Qamar Amin of PAF and won gold medal on points while in the above 91kg super heavy weight class Waqar Ahmad won gold medal and Saqib of Navy got silver medal, thus Army won the overall trophy by securing 7 gold medals. At the end, the chief guest Brig. Syed Khushnood Hussain gave away the trophies and medals.
Pakistan Army grabbed a total of seven gold medals and three silver medals and retained the trophy while PAF won 3 gold, 5 silver medals and took runner-up trophy while Navy got 1 gold and three silver medals remained at third.
In the 48kg light fly weight final PAF Rashad Fateh won gold medal, followed by Saeed Hassan of Pakistan Army. In the 51kg final fly weight category Navy’ Asif Kachi won gold medal, followed by Rashid Hussian of Pakistan Army.
In 54kg bantam weight final Sajjad Ali of Pakistan Army defeated Ali Muhammad of Pakistan Navy and won gold medal. It was the best fight of the Championship as both Sajjad Ali and Ali Muhammad exhibited excellent display of skills.
In the 57kg feather weight category, final Abid Ali of PAF defeated Sheraz of Pakistan Navy. In the 60kg light weight category final Nawaz Dad of Pakistan Army beat Faheem Ahmad of PAF, in 64kg light welter weight category Olympian Fazale Karim beat Adnan of PAF and secured a knock-out bout victory.
In the 69kg welter weight Rashad Hussain of PAF won gold medal, followed by Qaiser of Pakistan Army. In the 75kg middle weight class Nisar Khan of Pakistan Army got gold medal by defeating Allah Dad of PAF.
A beautiful fight was also witnessed between Ahmad Ali of Pakistan Army and Yousaf of PAF in the 81kg light heavy weight class wherein Ahmad Ali won gold when he knocked-out Yousaf in the third round before facing tough time.
In the 91kg heavy weight Yasir Javed secured victory against Qamar Amin of PAF and won gold medal on points while in the above 91kg super heavy weight class Waqar Ahmad won gold medal and Saqib of Navy got silver medal, thus Army won the overall trophy by securing 7 gold medals. At the end, the chief guest Brig. Syed Khushnood Hussain gave away the trophies and medals.
PCB lifts ban on Shoaib Malik
KARACHI: The Appellate Tribunal, headed by Justice (rtd) Irfan Qadir, probing the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) punishments on the players has lifted ban on the disgraced all-rounder Shoaib Malik, who recently married the Indian tennis queen Sania Mirza, after finding his conduct up to the level of liking,
The Tribunal has also scrapped the fine imposed on the controversial cricketer, who has been reportedly involved in the off the field politics in the team.
As per the sources in the PCB, the Tribunal has taken the decision after they found behaviour of Shoaib Malik as per the code of conduct, however, some eyebrows have raised in the cricket board about the abrupt decision.
Shoaib Malik’s lawyer told media outside the National Cricket Academy, where the hearing was conducted Friday, PCB has abolished the ban and the fine imposed on the all-rounder and now he is eligible to represent the country.
The decision has come at a time when the selection committee of the Board, headed by former test opener Mohsin Hasan Khan, has selected Shoaib Malik in the list of 35 players which would lead to the final squad for the upcoming Asia Cup and the all-important tour of England where Pakistan are due to play six test matches against England and Australia.
The Pakistan Cricket Board had imposed the ban of a year and Rs2 million fine on Shoaib following his involvement in players power and politics within the team.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Michael Essien ruled out, Torres makes progress
LONDON: Ghana's World Cup preparations suffered a huge setback on Thursday when midfielder Michael Essien was ruled out with a knee injury as Spain's Fernando Torres made progress in his recovery from a knee problem.
WORLD CUP 2010
Described by Ghana coach Milovan Rajevac as the leader and engine room of his team, Essien picked up the injury in January and the Chelsea player will be sorely missed at soccer's biggest event which starts on June 11 in South Africa.
"An evaluation by a combined team of medical experts from the Ghana Football Association and Chelsea Football Club revealed that Essien will not make a full recovery until the end of July," Ghana's FA said on its website (www.ghanafa.org).
There was better news for Essien's fellow Premier League player Torres, who trained with the Spain squad for the first time after surgery on his right knee last month.
"He's said he'll be fit in time for our first match, which is good news," winger Juan Mata said.
Spain's Group H opponents Honduras will have to raise their game when they face the European champions after being held to a 2-2 draw by Belarus in a friendly in Austria.
The central Americans went ahead through Julio Cesar de Leon midway through the first half before conceding two goals in four minutes and having to rely through Edgar Alvarez to spare their blushes in the second half.
NOISE TESTING
While teams try to sort out their tactics during friendlies, World Cup organisers will test for something rather different during Thursday's warm-up game between South Africa and Colombia in Johannesburg -- noise levels.
They will check whether the ear-splitting din from the much talked about vuvuzela fan trumpets could pose a security risk.
"If there is an order to evacuate that stadium and an announcement is made, you have to ask yourself, will everyone in that stadium hear that evacuation order?" said chief local organiser Danny Jordaan.
Hoping to add their cheers to the crowd noise were the South Africans who began queuing outside ticket offices after FIFA released additional seats on to the market.
Soccer's ruling body said there were still 164,000 tickets available out of almost 2.9 million for the 64 matches.
"All we want is to see a match, we just want to be part of a South Africa match," said Vanesh Reddy, who had been queuing outside a ticket office in the Sandton district of Johannesburg since Wednesday night.
"I'm not a diehard soccer fan, but I just want to be part of this celebration."
Tournament preparations were disrupted by news that South African opera singer Siphiwo Ntshebe, who had been personally chosen by Nelson Mandela to sing at the opening ceremony, died at the age of 34 after contracting bacterial meningitis.
There was also an announcement at the end of a transport workers strike which has disrupted trade in South Africa with logistics group Transnet reaching a deal with the workers.
Any relief over that was, however, tempered by the South African labour federation COSATU saying it might strike during the World Cup over sharp power price increases by utility Eskom if a mediation meeting planned for June 14 fails.
Shoaib and Hafeez likely to make Asia Cup squad
LAHORE: Maverick fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez have a good chance of finding place in the national team for the forthcoming Asia Cup.
Well-informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that though the PCB has doubts over Shoaib Akhtar’s match fitness, it believes that he has the potential to bowl well in the shorter versions of the game — the Twenty20 and 50-over matches.
“Shoaib Akhtar is no more Test cricket material,” a PCB official said on the condition of anonymity. “But he could be utilised in patches. He deserved being given a chance after performing well in the Pentangular Cup in which he claimed 12 wickets to finish as the second-best bowler of the tournament.”
As the PCB is not going to hold any training camp to select the final 15-member team from the already announced 35 probables, Shoaib will have to be cleared by the medical board in order to be considered for selection.
As for Hafeez’s selection, the official said: “Though Hafeez failed miserably in the last World T20, he has good prospects of showing his mettle in the 50-over matches. Thus he will get a chance, despite criticism from some stakeholders.”
“If Hafeez misses this chance, he will be out of the team for ever because PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has issued instructions to provide maximum chances to any player before discarding him,” the official disclosed.
Meanwhile, another source said that Hafeez was only there in the list of probables to provide competition to banned Shoaib Malik.
“As the PCB has announced that it would review the penalties of all the six players, who appealed against the punishments, Malik may stage a comeback in the team. The PCB has been facing tremendous pressure from certain quarters including some top government personnel to include Malik in the team and Hafeez’s availability for selection would be the best way to counter that pressure,” the source said.
Moreover, the PCB official said that it was most likely that the final 15-member team for the Asia Cup will be announced on June 2. “Head Coach Waqar Younis is scheduled to arrive here on June 1 and the announcement of the team will be made the next day,” the official said.
He further disclosed that the team’s newly-appointed skipper Shahid Afridi was getting no support from the PCB in his campaign to convince prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf to come out of retirement in order to serve the team in England Tests.The PCB Chairman has not on a single occasion advised Yousuf to withdraw his retirement decision and readily agreed when he wanted to proceed to Canada for a coaching assignment.
Well-informed sources told Dawn on Thursday that though the PCB has doubts over Shoaib Akhtar’s match fitness, it believes that he has the potential to bowl well in the shorter versions of the game — the Twenty20 and 50-over matches.
“Shoaib Akhtar is no more Test cricket material,” a PCB official said on the condition of anonymity. “But he could be utilised in patches. He deserved being given a chance after performing well in the Pentangular Cup in which he claimed 12 wickets to finish as the second-best bowler of the tournament.”
As the PCB is not going to hold any training camp to select the final 15-member team from the already announced 35 probables, Shoaib will have to be cleared by the medical board in order to be considered for selection.
As for Hafeez’s selection, the official said: “Though Hafeez failed miserably in the last World T20, he has good prospects of showing his mettle in the 50-over matches. Thus he will get a chance, despite criticism from some stakeholders.”
“If Hafeez misses this chance, he will be out of the team for ever because PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt has issued instructions to provide maximum chances to any player before discarding him,” the official disclosed.
Meanwhile, another source said that Hafeez was only there in the list of probables to provide competition to banned Shoaib Malik.
“As the PCB has announced that it would review the penalties of all the six players, who appealed against the punishments, Malik may stage a comeback in the team. The PCB has been facing tremendous pressure from certain quarters including some top government personnel to include Malik in the team and Hafeez’s availability for selection would be the best way to counter that pressure,” the source said.
Moreover, the PCB official said that it was most likely that the final 15-member team for the Asia Cup will be announced on June 2. “Head Coach Waqar Younis is scheduled to arrive here on June 1 and the announcement of the team will be made the next day,” the official said.
He further disclosed that the team’s newly-appointed skipper Shahid Afridi was getting no support from the PCB in his campaign to convince prolific batsman Mohammad Yousuf to come out of retirement in order to serve the team in England Tests.The PCB Chairman has not on a single occasion advised Yousuf to withdraw his retirement decision and readily agreed when he wanted to proceed to Canada for a coaching assignment.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)