Times of India: Sacked in 2013, Hanif Khan returns as head coach of Pakistan
28 December 2015
KARACHI: Pakistan’s celebrated hockey Olympian Hanif Khan has returned to the national squad as its manager and head coach nearly two and half years after he was sacked from the same role by the national hockey federation.
Hanif, who was sacked in July 2013 after Pakistan finished seventh in the Hockey World League in Malaysia and didn’t qualify for the 2014 World Cup, had than described his sacking as “insulting” and “disrespectful”.
“The PHF had insulted and ridiculed me by sacking me without informing me. The PHF is not a institution for honourable people to work with,” Hanif had said after his ouster.
But today the new PHF set up announced that Hanif would be the manager and chief coach of the national senior team with Qamar Ibahim as coach.
Hanif, who won two Olympic medals as a player and captain including the gold in the 1984 Los Angles Olympic games, guided Pakistan to the gold in the Champions Trophy and Asian Champions Trophy after he took charge post the 2012 London Olympics.
The new PHF set up has wasted no opportunity to revive the sport at the domestic level with the national hockey championship being held at the newly installed blue desso turf at the hockey club of Pakistan in Karachi.
It is after years that a major event is being organised at the historic HCP with the floodlights also switched on to host the knockout stage matches in the championship.