Roelant Oltmans steps down as Pakistan hockey team head coach

Oltmans, who has been working with the senior team from earlier this year, was scheduled to join the team directly in Hulunbuir for the Asian Champions Trophy, but pulled out at the last moment.

FILE PHOTO: Oltmans reportedly has made it clear that he can’t work on an event-to-event basis. | Photo Credit: THE HINDU

Head coach Roelant Oltmans ended his association with the Pakistan hockey team after he refused to join the side in China for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy, citing the lack of a long-term contract.

Oltmans, who has been working with the senior team from earlier this year, was scheduled to join the team directly in Hulunbuir but pulled out at the last moment.

“Oltmans has notified the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) that he is not available for coaching as he wants a long-term proper contract with the PHF,” an official source in the PHF said.

The six-team ACT tournament is scheduled to be held between September 8 and 17.

The PHF source said Oltmans, who had also worked as Indian hockey team’s High Performance Director and head coach between 2013 and 2017, was offered an “event-to-event” contract.

“The PHF has been hiring him on assignment basis due to fund issues and he was supposed to coach the team during the event in China and then return home,” the source said.

“But Oltmans has now made it clear that he can’t work on an event-to-event basis and if the PHF requires his expertise they need to offer him a long-term contract,” the source added.

To make matters worse for Pakistan, captain Ammad Butt has not got along with the two local coaches, who are travelling with the team to China.

The PHF has faced a financial crunch for a while now and the Pakistan Sports Board has also refused to release funds of 50 million rupees for 27 players and six officials for the ACT.

The PSB, however, said it had offered to pay for the air tickets of 19 players and four officials as the funds being demanded by the PHF were high.