Lahore, Jul 03: Pakistan today appointed former field hockey coach Abdul Rasheed Junior as manager, hoping to lift its sagging stature before next year's Athens Olympic games.
"Our target is the Athens Olympics and we hope that the new manager, along with other officials, work hard on the team and bring good results," Pakistan Hockey Federation secretary Brigadier Musarratullah Khan told reporters.
Coach Tahir Zaman and his deputy Shahid Ali Khan were retained.
Pakistan, three-time Olympic and four-time World Champions, has slumped of late in international hockey, turning in an all-time low performance to take fourth place at last year's Asian games in Busan, South Korea. Hockey, Pakistan's national sport, has been increasingly overshadowed by cricket, which has become a great obsession among the country's youth.

Rasheed became the only player in field hockey history to win World Cup titles as coach and player when Pakistan won its last of four world titles in Sydney, Australia in 1994.

At center forward, he helped lead Pakistan to the championship in the inaugural World Cup in 1971 and scored 96 goals in 89 internationals across his illustrious career.

Pakistan finished a poor fourth in two three-nation tournaments in Australia last month and even lost to Australia's second string team in one match in Perth.

The performance forced the resignation earlier this week of former Olympian Shahnaz Sheikh.

Pakistan also appointed another former Olympian, Qamar Ibrahim, as Video Analyst.

Pakistan's first assignment is next month's six-nation Champions' Trophy in the Netherlands.

Bureau Report.