Pakistan’s Dutch hockey coach, Siegfried Aikman, resigned after not getting paid for the last 12 months. Aikman, who had joined the national team last year, took to social media to announce he had officially resigned as head coach. Though Aikman had returned home from Pakistan late last year over a salary dispute, he didn’t relinquish the post waiting for his arrears to be cleared. But with no resolution in sight, he has decided to resign.
Around the time Aikman sent in his resignation to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), another Dutch coach, Roelant Oltmans, arrived in Pakistan and will fly out with the national junior squad to Muscat for the Asia Junior Cup on Sunday night.
PHF confirmed that Oltmans had arrived in Lahore and taken charge of the junior team for the continental event. PHF has not indicated who will pay Oltman’s salary or whether Aikman’s dues will be cleared.
PHF had hired Aikman after the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) said it would pay the Dutch coach’s salary. A standoff between the PHF and PSB over elections and constitutional issues led to a situation where the state-controlled body has stopped funding the PHF. “Even the (funding of the) team we have sent to Oman has been done by raising money through private donors and sponsors,” said a PHF official.
