Former Pakistan hockey captain Shahbaz Ahmed has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) following the resignation of Rana Mujahid last week.
With Shahbaz taking up this role immediately, the country’s longest serving captain aims to put Pakistan Hockey back on track following the disappointment of failing to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Speaking at the press conference announcing his appointment, he said: “I’m sure with the help and coordination of all the stakeholders, I will be in a position to make the difference. I don’t have a magic wand to turn things around overnight but I’ll do my best to reorganise things and ensure transparency.”
Olympian Hasan Sardar was confirmed as his advisor while Mohammad Ikhlaq Usmani is the Treasurer. Rasheed Junior, meanwhile, has been named as the new Chief Selector with Saeed Khan, Farhat Khan, Shahbaz Junior and Waseem Feroz named on the Selection Committee.
Tahir Zaman has been named as the Head Coach of the junior hockey team with Zeeshan Ashraf and Mohammad Irfan being his assistants.
At the press conference, the new PHF Secretary General said that he would maximize the involvement of former players in hockey affairs to benefit from their expertise. He said: "We will also be concentrating on the hockey nurseries across the country so that grooming of budding players can be done in an effective manner."
Ahmad is considered to be one of the greatest hockey players in the game's history. The all time leading cap holder, having represented his country 304 times, is the only player to win two consecutive player of the tournament awards in the 1990 World Cup in Lahore, Pakistan and at the 1994 World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
The 1994 Hockey World Cup winner played in three Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal in 1992.
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