Karachi, June 25 (IANS) Pakistan’s new hockey coach Michel van den Heuvel is hoping his charges will perform better at the Asian Games later this year after flopping miserably in the World Cup in New Delhi.
The Dutchman told reporters here Friday that he has taken over the job as a big challenge and hopefully he will help Pakistan to ‘fly again’ in world hockey.
‘As a young boy I watched Pakistan play, and they were not normal players because they use to fly and now my aim is to make this beautiful green team fly again and achieve better results in the 2012 Olympics.’
Van den Heuvel, who guided the Netherlands to a bronze medal finish in the 12-nation World Cup held in February-March in India, was appointed as Pakistan’s third foreign coach earlier this month.
His appointment came after a couple of leading coaches, including Germany’s Paul Lissek, rejected Pakistan’s offer because of security concerns.
However, Van den Heuvel made it clear that he has no security fears in Pakistan.
‘When they called me (to become Pakistan coach), I wanted to have a feel and when I came, initially it felt like a jail in Lahore, but gradually it eased and now I am here in Karachi and see no security problems,’ he said.
The Dutchman’s major target is the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Pakistan has won three Olympic titles but their last win came way back in 1984. Van den Heuvel said that fans will have to be patient.
‘The fans must understand it’s not an easy way to the top, Pakistan is not the only country striving to go back to the top and a revival is not done in three months,’ he said.
‘Its a continued process, we will have victories and losses, as a normal process but the focus will not only be on winning, the main focus will be to learn to grow as a team,’ the coach concluded.
