Former Pakistan hockey star Rehan Butt’s first assignment as a coach took an unusual turn on Sunday. In Guwahati to take part in the South Asian Games, Butt was gearing up to guide the young Pakistan squad in the 12-day event when one of their players, Samiullah, failed to get the Non Validate Pass (visa) for the Games.
The team were left with no option but to ask Rehan to don the national colours yet again and the former skipper duly obliged. On Sunday, he played a vital part in the team’s 3-0 win over Sri Lanka.
“It has been quite a start to my coaching career!” said Rehan in a conversation with this newspaper from Guwahati. “It was an emotional moment for me as I reached India and suddenly was asked to play. I spent so much time training the squad last one month but never thought that I would be playing too! It was surreal to be in the field and wear the jersey again,” said Rehan, who last played for Pakistan at the 2012 London Games.
Butt, along with the likes of former skippers Waseem Ahmed, Mohammad Saqlain and world fame drag-flicker Sohail Abbas, have been the face of Pakistan hockey in the last decade that saw then beat top teams consistently. The four-time world champions were a formidable lot under current India coach Roelant Oltmans, who coached Pakistan from 2003 to 2008.
But the last few years has seen a sharp decline in the country’s hockey. The internal politics was to be blamed and the refusal of international teams — across all sport — to travel to Pakistan due to safety concerns added to it. The low came in 2014 when the former champions missed out on the World Cup for the first time and will also not be seen in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Pakistan has finished seventh at the London Games.
Rehan says the country is trying to recover from this “dark period”.
“We have seen a lot of downfall and despair but hopefully the only way will be up from here. Pakistan hockey is capable of a lot more and we have to come out of this,” says Butt.
“We are aiming for the 2018 World Cup now and the South Asian Games is the first step. A gold here shall be a good start for this build-up,” the 35-year-old said.
