The Malaysian Hockey Federation are in the midst of negotiations to secure the services for Roelant Oltmans as the new national team coach.
Though MHF are seeking to employ the 55 year old on a fulltime basis, there could be some snags as Oltmans is currently attached to Laren, a club that boasts the likes of Rehan Butt and Salman Akbar.
So an alternative arrangement could be worked out with Oltmans as a National Team Consultant while Tai Beng Hai retains his position as Head Coach of the national side.
It is learnt that a high powered meeting was held in Kuantan today, just before the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and Malaysian Hockey Federation meetings.
The meeting it is learnt was to discuss the appointment of the Dutch coach was attended by MHF President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and NSC Director General Dato Zolkples Embong and other MHF top brass.
It is further believed that the decision to consider Oltmans was taken after a series of email exchanges between MHF and the former Pakistan coach over the past few months.
If Oltmans is selected, he will be the fourth foreign coach to handle the national side, the first being Australian Terry Walsh followed by two Germans in the likes of Volkner Knapp and Paul Lissek.
Should MHF go ahead and endorse the appointment, Oltmans could well take charge of the team for the AHF Champions Trophy followed by Azlan Shah Cup, Commonwealth Games and the all important Asian Games that provides automatic entry to the 2012 London Olympics.
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Though MHF are seeking to employ the 55 year old on a fulltime basis, there could be some snags as Oltmans is currently attached to Laren, a club that boasts the likes of Rehan Butt and Salman Akbar.
So an alternative arrangement could be worked out with Oltmans as a National Team Consultant while Tai Beng Hai retains his position as Head Coach of the national side.
It is learnt that a high powered meeting was held in Kuantan today, just before the Malaysian Hockey Confederation and Malaysian Hockey Federation meetings.
The meeting it is learnt was to discuss the appointment of the Dutch coach was attended by MHF President Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah and NSC Director General Dato Zolkples Embong and other MHF top brass.
It is further believed that the decision to consider Oltmans was taken after a series of email exchanges between MHF and the former Pakistan coach over the past few months.
If Oltmans is selected, he will be the fourth foreign coach to handle the national side, the first being Australian Terry Walsh followed by two Germans in the likes of Volkner Knapp and Paul Lissek.
Should MHF go ahead and endorse the appointment, Oltmans could well take charge of the team for the AHF Champions Trophy followed by Azlan Shah Cup, Commonwealth Games and the all important Asian Games that provides automatic entry to the 2012 London Olympics.
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