KARACHI: Pakistan’s national game, hockey, touched its lowest point when the national side finished twelfth in the recently held Hockey World Cup in New Delhi, but the newly appointed Dutch Coach Michel Van Den Heuvel has some other ideas.
Michel Van Den Heuvel, who reached Karachi on early Monday morning, was of the view that Pakistani hockey team has some very good young players who can help the country regain its days of glory.
While talking to media upon his arrival in Karachi, Heuvel stated that there is no reason why Pakistan don’t get back days of past glory as it has the talent and guts to be there with the best in the business.
Earlier on Saturday, the Federal Sports Ministry had given the approval to appoint Dutch Coach Michel Van Den Heuvel for the hockey team.
The new foreign coach joined the national team today at a training camp at Hockey Club of Pakistan Stadium Karachi.
The contract between the PHF and Michel Van Den will end after London Olympics 2012.
During the training session Heuvel declined to talk to reporters and a huge contingent of Police was called to make sure that no media was present inside the Hockey Club of Pakistan.
Van den Heuvel guided the Netherlands to a bronze medal in the New Delhi World Cup. He is Pakistan’s third foreign coach, succeeding fellow Dutchmen Hans Jorritsma, appointed in 1994, and Roelant Oltmans, in 2000.
Secretary Pakistan Hockey Federation Muhammad Asif Bajwa said that the decision to appoint Van den Heuvel, former coach of the Netherlands’ national squad, was taken after serious deliberation.
“PHF has decided to take every measure to revive our fortune and providing a foreign coach was a step in this direction. So we have taken this decision in the best interest of the game and the country”, he added.
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