Five coaches to take Licence A course [The News]

Five coaches to take Licence A course [The News]

KARACHI: At least five Pakistani coaches are set to attend Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Licence A coaching course in Bahrain from March 31, reliable sources told ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

Sources said that the first phase would be held from March 31 to April 11 and the second from April 19 to 30.

Pakistan’s Bahraini coach Mohammed Shamlan had played a vital role in the whole move.

This correspondent learnt that AFC Licence B coaches Akhtar Mohiuddin, Sajjad Mehmood, Hasan Baloch, Najeebullah Najmi and Tanvir Ahmed are expected to be sent for the course.

An effort was also being made to accommodate Lyallpur FC coach Mohammad Habib in the programme, a source said.

A top official of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), when contacted, refused to confirm the names of the coaches being sent for the course. “It is still under process, so I cannot disclose the names,” PFF secretary Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi told this correspondent from Lahore.

“We had been told to send two individuals but we will be trying to adjust at least four because other countries are sending one each. I hope we will be given some advantage as we have strong relations with Bahrain and they have always supported us,” Lodhi added.

It would be a real breakthrough if the PFF managed to send five or six coaches for the course. It would inflate the country’s Licence A coaches pool, which currently has only four coaches.

Young Shehzad Anwar and Nasir Ismail have already done this course.

The coaching credentials of veteran Tariq Lutfi and Siddiq Sheikh have been declared by the AFC as equivalent to Licence A. Both had got their coaching degrees from Germany.

The credentials of Quetta-based former Pakistan coach Akhtar Mohiuddin, who has a coaching diploma from Germany, have been declared equivalent to the AFC Licence B.

“By 2016 we would like to have at least 12 AFC Licence A coaches,” Lodhi said.

Sources said that the coaches would themselves arrange their air-fare. Lodhi also confirmed it.

“Yes, the coaches will have to purchase tickets. We will support them in other areas like food. Effort will also be made to give them some allowances,” Lodhi said.

A source said that the accommodation facilities would be given by the AFC.

A source said Shamlan was very supportive and was ready to provide coaches from Pakistan accommodation and conveyance facilities during their stay in Bahrain.

In the course, lectures are delivered by highly experienced instructors on modern tactical trend, match analysis, team-building and physical fitness. During the four-week course, there are three practicals, two theory papers and a 30-minute presentation by each coach on any given topic.

Shamlan was not satisfied with the coaching standard of Pakistani coaches after the PFF gave him the additional charge of Director Technical a few months ago.

He met almost every coach working at different levels in Pakistan and after learning about their future plan in the field of coaching he promised most of them that he would try to send them for coaching courses.

Shamlan, a Pro-Licence holder, also wants some of the Pakistani coaches to have Pro-Licences.

But currently it looks a bit difficult for the Pakistani coaches to meet the hefty fee of around Rs1 million of the Pro-Licence course.

There is also a chance that after 2017, the head coach of the national team will have to be a Pro-Licence holder.