No salary for 12 months, Pakistan hockey coach Siegfried Ekman resigns

Pakistan’s Dutch hockey coach Siegfried Aikman has resigned after not getting his salary for the last 12 months. Aikman, who joined the national team last year, announced on social media that he had officially resigned as head coach. Although Aikman returned home from Pakistan late last year over a pay dispute, he did not step down while waiting for his dues to be paid. But with no solution, he has decided to resign.

Around the time Aikman sent his resignation to the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), another Dutch coach Roelant Oltmans arrived in Pakistan and will fly with the national junior team to Muscat for the Asia Junior Cup on Sunday night.

The PHF confirmed that Oltmans has reached Lahore and has taken charge of the junior team for the continental event. The PHF has not indicated who will pay Oltman’s salary or whether Aikman’s dues will be cleared.

Aikman was appointed by the PHF after the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) said it would pay the salary of the Dutch coach. The standoff between the PHF and the PSB over election and constitutional issues has led to a situation where the state-controlled body has stopped funding the PHF. “Even (funding) the team we sent to Oman was done by raising money through private donors and sponsors,” said a PHF official.