MUSCAT: Dutch hockey coach Siegfried Aikman is likely to join Oman national hockey team as head coach soon after talks with Oman Hockey Association, according to some sources.
Aikman, who recently parted ways with the Pakistan team over a payment issue, is currently without any team.
The Oman Hockey Association didn’t renew the contract of current head coach Malaysia’s Lim Chiow Chuan, which expired after the Junior Asia Cup.
The former Japan coach reportedly met with Oman Hockey Association (OHA) Chairman Dr Marwan bin Juma al Juma during the Men’s Junior Asia Cup Championship in Salalah.
India beat Pakistan 2-1 in the final to win the title in the Junior Asia Cup at the Sultan Qaboos Youth Complex on June 1.
OHA chief Dr Marwan said Aikman’s appointment is still to be confirmed.
“We are in negotiations with Aikman. The deal is still to be finalised. Nothing is confirmed at the moment,” he told Oman Observer.
Commenting on Oman's performance in the Junior Asia Cup, Dr Marwan said it was a good outing by the Omani boys with a seventh-place finish among the top 10 hockey nations in Asia.
"W actually had a target of finishing sixth in Asia Cup. We couldn't manage it, though Oman had played some good matches against semifinalists Malaysia (lost 1-0) and Uzbekistan (won 2-1). We will try to get more consistency in our game," he added.
If appointed, Aikman will be an ideal candidate to lead the Oman team in the Hockey5s World Cup to be hosted by the Sultanate of Oman in January 2024. The Dutch veteran will join the Oman team in the middle of June if the OHA succeeds in roping in the coach, the sources said.
Aikman led the Japanese team to the Asian Games title in 2018, one of the crowning moments of his coaching career.
The Dutch coach is a FIH High Performance Senior Coach as well as a FIH Academy Trainer and Educator.
The 64-year-old active coach had also conducted FIH’s high profile coaching courses, some of them with FIH President Tayyab Ikram.
Aikman, with roots in the Caribbean country of Suriname, has been a full time coach since 2017 — four years with the Japan men’s national team and then with Pakistan.
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