Pakistan hockey team coach Siegfried Aikman has resigned due to non-payment of salary for 12 consecutive months. The Dutch coach cited salary as the reason for his resignation, according to various Pakistani media.
Aikman, who led Japan to a gold medal in the Asian Games in 2018, took charge of Pakistan in December 2021. The contract period was till 2026. However, even though he has served for 17 months, he has not been paid for most of the time.
Aikman had been publicly expressing his displeasure for five-six months due to the withholding of salary. In an interview to The Dawn in January, he also threatened to quit his job next month if he was not paid quickly. Later, from the President of Pakistan Hockey Federation and the Director General of Pakistan Sports Board to the Minister and the Prime Minister’s office, he contacted. As no solution was found, he finally decided to leave.
“I was promised a lot,” Aikman said, saying it would be “impossible to continue working” without a salary. But not fulfilled. I wanted to fulfill my promise. But now is the time to look forward.
According to SamaTV news, Aikman was not getting salary due to conflict between PHF and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB). General Secretary of Hockey Federation Haider Hossain said that PSB has been told many times about discounting the coach’s money. They didn’t pay attention.
According to Geo Super, the Prime Minister’s Office has formed a four-member committee to make necessary recommendations to speed up the activities of the Pakistan Hockey Federation. The committee after a meeting with the Pakistan Sports Board decided to recommend to the Prime Minister the formation of a supervisory committee in the federation. However, one of the members alleged that the PHF did not cooperate with the committee in this regard. A convening committee should organize fair elections. But the federation does not respond to our queries.