Pakistan hockey coach Farhat Khan resigns

KARACHI: The Pakistan hockey team's head coach Farhat Khan today stepped down after less than six months in the position following the team's debacles in the Asia Cup and the four-nation invitational event in Australia.

However, the former Olympian said he had resigned due to personal reasons.

"I can't spare time from my duties in Pakistan Customs where I have got a promotion recently. I just didn't feel I could do justice to the important job of coaching the national team," Farhat said.

His resignation comes just hours after it was revealed that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was looking at hiring a foreign coach with former German captain and Olympic gold medallist, Christian Blunck, the prime candidate under consideration for the job.

Blunck a versatile midfielder spearheaded Germany to a gold medal in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. However, he has never coached any team from any country.

Farhat was brought in as head coach in July after Pakistan fared badly in the World hockey league tournament in London and replaced Khawaja Junaid and Hanif Khan.

But even his tenure was littered with disappointments with Pakistan failing to even make the final of the Asia Cup.

The team was lost by nine goals to Australia in a four-nation event in Perth and also suffered successive defeats against Japan.