Foreign coaches need to grasp culture: Tahir Zaman
Biswajyoti Brahma,TNN
NEW DELHI: Hockey legend Tahir Zaman may not be against foreign coaches in the subcontinent. But he has a simple way of explaining why they can’t be successful.
Zaman, coach of the Pakistan men’s team and consultant of the team for the junior World Cup, said these coaches, though highly qualified, fail because the culture in India and Pakistan is quite different from the part of the world they come from.
“When a boy picks up a hockey stick in Europe he’s not under much pressure. There’s no expectation from him. But for most of those who play the game here, it’s a matter of ‘rozi roti’, it’s all about their future,” he said.
“It’s difficult to understand these facts of life if you don’t belong to this part of the world.”
He said though a local coach would be able to understand the players here better, the problem is that they are not as qualified as their European counterparts. “Coaches here should update their knowledge. You can’t be one-dimensional as a coach. You have to be flexible. We are not on a par with Europeans and we have to admit that,” he added.
Zaman, however, sounded positive when asked about the future of the game in the subcontinent. The upcoming junior World Cup could be a key moment in the revival of hockey in the region, he felt.
“I see a spark in the players from India and Pakistan. This could be an important tournament. The future is bright. Four or five years down the line, we would be back as top-4 or top-5 teams. The whole world wants to see us there.”