KUALA LUMPUR — Roelant Oltmans has dismissed recent reports claiming he has been appointed head coach of the Pakistan national hockey team.
The Dutch tactician, who has 37 years of coaching experience across top hockey nations including the Netherlands, Pakistan, and India, issued the clarification after media reports suggested Pakistan, following a disappointing Pro League campaign in Australia, had appointed him as head coach and reinstated Ahmad Ammad Butt as captain.
The reports claimed Oltmans would replace Tahir Zaman, who was rested, while Ammad’s two-year ban for publicly criticising the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) was lifted ahead of the World Cup Qualifiers (WCQ) in Ismailia, Egypt, from March 1–7.
Ammad had previously criticised the PHF over substandard accommodation during the FIH Pro League matches in Hobart, Tasmania, alleging that players were forced to wash their own clothes and dishes. Former PHF president Tariq Bugti subsequently imposed a two-year ban on Ammad before resigning amid player complaints and a probe initiated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Speaking to Scoop, the 72-year-old Oltmans, who also coached Malaysia from 2018 to 2020, clarified that he had not accepted any offer from Pakistan.
“It is not true. I am not going to Pakistan, and I have no involvement with their hockey team at the moment,” Oltmans said.
“I was contacted by the PHF last week, but within five days, there were three different boards managing Pakistan hockey. Ultimately, the offer was withdrawn, and I did not go. So it’s nothing special; they decided differently, which is completely fine for me. We will see what the future brings,” he added.
Describing the reports as misleading, Oltmans urged caution in accepting all media claims at face value.
“Well, the article at that moment was more or less what happened. They took it from the Pakistan papers, but in Pakistan, many things changed within two, three, four days, again and again. People should not believe everything that is written as true,” he said.
Oltmans is currently coaching Leiden Hockey Club, one of the oldest hockey clubs in the Netherlands, where he serves as technical director and assistant to the first men’s team coach.
“Leiden is my local club, only 200 metres from my house. We have already achieved promotion and are now competing at the highest level,” he said.
“I’m happy here for now. I am 72, I have my family, my club, and my regular job here. I am not looking to go abroad for 12 months a year anymore,” he added.
World number 14 Pakistan will open their Group B campaign against world number 23 China on March 1, followed by matches against Malaysia and Austria. Group A features world number six England, hosts Egypt (world number 17), Japan (world number 18), and the United States (world number 25). Pakistan must finish in the top three to qualify for the World Cup. — February 25, 2026