Questioning the sincerity of a foreign coach
THE other day, Shahbaz Ahmad, the Pakistani hockey legend while giving comments on Pakistan hockey’s current state on a leading news channel, raised doubts about the commitment of Michel vanden Heuvel, the Dutch coach of the national hockey squad Shahbaz said, “A foreign coach can never be sincere to the cause of Pakistan Hockey.”
It was really disappointing to hear this, especially from a sport star of the stature of Shahbaz.
In this age, sports coaching/management is a profession with very little room for emotions. Today meaningful titles are not won simply through emotional motivation and pedigree. But coaching involves scientific planning at both macro and micro levels ranging from specific strategy for a particular opponent to individual training in the minutest details.
In recent times, it is very common to see the various national federations advertising for the job of the coach/manager of the country’s national team and the job is almost always open for a person of any nationality.
One can quote so many examples. Modern football was born in England. Who is the current manager of the England national football team? Not an English man but an Italian named Fabio Capello who is in this seat since January 2008. One may say that Italy has an impressive record, four time winners of the soccer World Cup. But the manager of the England’s national team in the World Cups of 2002 and 2006 was Sven Goran Eriksson who comes from Sweden, a country whose soccer achievements are much less as compared to that of England.
In the last soccer World Cup in South Africa, as many as 12 national teams had foreign coaches.
In hockey itself, it is common to see foreigners coaching top teams these days. A Dutchman Maurits Hendriks was signed by the Spanish hockey federation after the 2002 World Cup. His six year tenure is easily the finest era of the Spanish hockey. Spain who had finished 9th at the 2000 Olympics rose to the 4th position at the 2004 Athen Olympics and then at the 2008 Beijing games they won the silver, thus equaling their best ever performance at the Olympics. Likewise there was dramatic improvement at the World Cup. Spain who had finished at a miserable 10th at the 2002 World Cup made a remarkable surge at the very next edition. Under the tutelage of Hendriks they attained 3rd position.
When Hendriks took over Spain, they were languishing in the second tier of the world hockey. His first big challenge was at the 2003 Champions Challenge. Spain won that tournament to qualify for the elite Champions trophy. And then in the Champions Trophy of 2004, Spain created history; the first country ever to win the prestigious event having qualified from the last Champions Challenge . It was also the first time that Spain won the Champions trophy. In 2005, Spain also won the European Nations Cup, only for the second time in its history. One wonders if still Shahbaz Ahmed believes that a foreign coach cannot be sincere.
P.S. When Pakistan last won the World Cup and the Champions trophy, both in 1994, they had a Dutch coach named Hans Jorritsma. Shahbaz, who was then Pakistan’s captain, had categorically appreciated Jorritsma’s contribution in Pakistan’s success.
It was really disappointing to hear this, especially from a sport star of the stature of Shahbaz.
In this age, sports coaching/management is a profession with very little room for emotions. Today meaningful titles are not won simply through emotional motivation and pedigree. But coaching involves scientific planning at both macro and micro levels ranging from specific strategy for a particular opponent to individual training in the minutest details.
In recent times, it is very common to see the various national federations advertising for the job of the coach/manager of the country’s national team and the job is almost always open for a person of any nationality.
One can quote so many examples. Modern football was born in England. Who is the current manager of the England national football team? Not an English man but an Italian named Fabio Capello who is in this seat since January 2008. One may say that Italy has an impressive record, four time winners of the soccer World Cup. But the manager of the England’s national team in the World Cups of 2002 and 2006 was Sven Goran Eriksson who comes from Sweden, a country whose soccer achievements are much less as compared to that of England.
In the last soccer World Cup in South Africa, as many as 12 national teams had foreign coaches.
In hockey itself, it is common to see foreigners coaching top teams these days. A Dutchman Maurits Hendriks was signed by the Spanish hockey federation after the 2002 World Cup. His six year tenure is easily the finest era of the Spanish hockey. Spain who had finished 9th at the 2000 Olympics rose to the 4th position at the 2004 Athen Olympics and then at the 2008 Beijing games they won the silver, thus equaling their best ever performance at the Olympics. Likewise there was dramatic improvement at the World Cup. Spain who had finished at a miserable 10th at the 2002 World Cup made a remarkable surge at the very next edition. Under the tutelage of Hendriks they attained 3rd position.
When Hendriks took over Spain, they were languishing in the second tier of the world hockey. His first big challenge was at the 2003 Champions Challenge. Spain won that tournament to qualify for the elite Champions trophy. And then in the Champions Trophy of 2004, Spain created history; the first country ever to win the prestigious event having qualified from the last Champions Challenge . It was also the first time that Spain won the Champions trophy. In 2005, Spain also won the European Nations Cup, only for the second time in its history. One wonders if still Shahbaz Ahmed believes that a foreign coach cannot be sincere.
P.S. When Pakistan last won the World Cup and the Champions trophy, both in 1994, they had a Dutch coach named Hans Jorritsma. Shahbaz, who was then Pakistan’s captain, had categorically appreciated Jorritsma’s contribution in Pakistan’s success.
