Well-placed sources told Arab News that Michel van den
Heuvel – Pakistan’s national coach – threatened to walk away from the 15-day
training camp if the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) went ahead with plans to
stage the camp in Islamabad.
“When Michel learnt that the PHF has decided to hold the
training camp in Abbottabad, he didn’t like the idea. The coach told senior PHF
officials that he would feel safer if the camp took place in either Lahore or
Islamabad,” said a source.
Bin Ladin’s killing in Abbottabad was the main reason why
Van den Heuvel decided against going to the hill city.
PHF chiefs and other senior Pakistan team officials tried to
convince the Dutchman that Abbottabad was a perfectly safe venue but Van den
Heuvel remained adamant that he would not attend the camp there.
The PHF wanted its players to have some high-altitude
training in Abbottabad in a bid to improve their fitness ahead of a month-long
tour of Europe which will begin from June 16. Pakistan are to feature in two
four-nation tournaments in Ireland and Netherlands besides playing several Test
matches against European teams during the tour which is seen as an important
event ahead of next year’s Olympic Games in London.
However, under pressure from their coach, the PHF announced
that it will stage the camp in Islamabad from May 30. In a similar move, the
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday moved a one-day game between Afghanistan
and Pakistan A from Abbottabad to Islamabad.
Van den Heuvel was appointed as Pakistan’s coach almost a
year ago after the Greenshirts crashed to a humiliating last-place finish at
last year’s World Cup in New Delhi. Van den Heuvel, who was sacked as
Netherland’s coach after the Dutch flopped in the World Cup, was the only
foreigner ready to take up the Pakistan assignment in spite of security
concerns.
Before offering the job to Van den Heuvel, the PHF sounded
out German coach Paul Lissek and Australia’s Barry Dancer, but both turned down
the offer because of security apprehensions.
However, Van den Heuvel said yes to the offer to become
Pakistan’s third foreign hockey coach after Hans Jorritsma (1994) and Roelant
Oltmans (2000).
Under the Dutchman, Pakistan flopped miserably at the
Commonwealth Games in New Delhi but bounced back to win the gold at the Asian
Games in Guangzhou (China) for the first time in 20 years.
Van den Heuvel did express reservations about carrying on as
Pakistan’s coach after the Asian Games mainly because of security concerns.
However, the PHF managed to assuage his fears through assurances of best
possible security after which he agreed to stay on as Pakistan coach till the
2012 Olympics.
But he only comes to Pakistan to supervise national training
camps and during his stay here is confined to the hockey stadium and his hotel.
“Though
he has spent almost a year as coach, Michel is still not comfortable about
staying in Pakistan,” said a source.
