Pak looking for foreign coach

Pakistan want to sign a foreign coach to help the senior men's hockey team prepare for next year's Olympics in Athens.

"We are negotiating with three or four countries and by September we should know whether we will have a foreign coach or not," Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Brigadier Musaratullah told Reuters on Tuesday.

Sources say that Pakistan are negotiating with coaches from Germany, Australia and Spain.

Pakistan, once a powerhouse in world hockey, have not won Olympic gold since 1984 and their last major title was the 1994 World Cup.

Former Olympian Abdul Rasheed Jr was appointed as team manager last month, replacing Shahnaz Shiekh, who resigned after a disappointing tour of Australia.

Rasheed and coaches Tahir Zaman and Shahid Ali Khan are working with the team that will take part in the Champions Trophy tournament later this month in the Netherlands.

Rasheed was team manager when Pakistan won the Champions Trophy and World Cup in 1994 under Dutch coach Hans Jorritsma.

"We have experimented with a foreign coach in the past and it was not a bad experience," Musarat said.

"Given our recent results we see no harm in trying to sign a foreign coach who is willing to take up the challenge of Pakistan's Olympic bid."

The PHF official said that the foreign coach would be required to work with the team, give input to the players and also help organise a modern hockey structure in Pakistan.