Lissek is understood to top the wish-list of Qasim Zia, the President of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), but they are also talking to coaches in Australia following the team's poor performance at the World Cup in New Delhi when they finished last of the 12 competing countries, which led to the team management being sacked.

Zia said: “We have decided to have a foreign coach and the Government has assured us that it will provide appropriate funds for it.

"We’ve also been told by the Senate’s Sports Committee to hire the best coach in the world and we intend to follow that advice."

Lissek is credited with turning Germany into one of the world's top teams, including leading them to the Olympic gold medal at Barcelona in 1992, and has also coached Malaysia.  

Zia said; "PHF is making all out efforts to rope in a foreign coach, who is good enough to put the Pakistan team on the right track after a disastrous World Cup campaign in New Delhi earlier this month.

"If we are to improve the standard of the team we have to bring in the best stuff."

Meanwhile, a report from under-fire team manager Asif Bajwa and presented to the Senate Sports Committee claimed that none of Pakistan's players in New Delhi - apart from Omer Bhutta - were fully fit.

He said: "Except for one all other Pakistan players were not hundred per cent fit and that turned out to be one of the reasons of poor our show.

"There was one problem or the other with most of the players."

The former chief selector Hasan Sardar who was also present, however, said that he was not know the players were claiming to be unfit.

He said:" I am not aware of any fitness report of players and the team I selected was the best available."


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March 2010: Pakistan hockey looking for foreign coach for London 2012
March 2010: Pakistan greats demand sacking of Bajwa after World Cup flop
March 2010: Pakistan hockey team all announce retirements after humiliation