Arshad remains without a coach as Islamic Games inch closer

The future of Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem’s coaching setup has come under question after his coach Salman Butt was handed a lifetime ban by the Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP).

The ban was imposed for holding unconstitutional elections of the Punjab Athletics Association (PAA) and for allegedly violating the federation’s constitution. Butt was acting as PAA’s president.

Arshad is currently training in Lahore in preparation for the Islamic Games scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from November 7 to 21.

With the AFP no longer managing Arshad directly, the matter is expected to pose a challenge for the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB).

“Arshad is a key athlete, and he is continuing his training. I don’t believe coaching will be a major issue for him ahead of the Islamic Games,” a well-placed PSB source told Nukta.

It’s worth noting that Arshad has previously competed in major international events without a coach. These include the 2019 Doha World Championships, the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games, and the 2022 Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey. Despite that, Arshad won golds in both Birmingham and Konya with record-breaking throws.

But it’s a fact that he never trained without a coach.

Salman Butt's verdict

When approached for comment on whether he still considers himself Arshad’s coach following the ban, Salman Butt said: “You’ve seen the press release. I’m at home, doing nothing.”

However, sources told this correspondent that Butt and Arshad recently met with a senior official of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) at the Olympic House to discuss the situation.

The PSB source expressed dissatisfaction with the AFP’s decision to impose a lifetime ban on Butt, who had played a significant role in Arshad’s recent successes.

“I don’t believe he deserved a life ban. If Butt remains silent, there’s little we can do. But if he writes to the Board and seeks adjudication, we will support him,” the source added.

Butt said he is evaluating his options. “I will let you know soon,” he told this correspondent.

Salman Butt took over as Arshad’s coach after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (held in 2021 due to COVID-19), where Arshad finished fifth. Under Butt’s guidance, Arshad achieved historic milestones, including a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2025 Asian Championship, as well as a silver medal at the 2023 World Championships.

However, Arshad recently struggled with fitness issues following his calf surgery and finished tenth in the finals of the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.

The legal battle

According to regulations, Butt may appeal the ban through the AFP’s arbitration process and potentially escalate the matter to the POA’s arbitration forum if needed.

Looking ahead to the Islamic Games, Pakistan holds strong medal hopes in the javelin throw. If Arshad competes, he is a favourite to win.

Butt was also a member of the Development Commission of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), and he will lose this position after the punishment.

Meanwhile, AFP ExCo also constituted a 12-member Management Committee under chairperson Shahida Khanum, who is also the senior vice-president of AFP, for governance and administration of the Punjab Athletics Association.

The mandate of the committee is to: manage routine affairs of PAA as required; drafting a constitution of PAA aligned to AFP constitution; after approval of PAA constitution and electoral college by AFP hold elections of PAA to elect office-bearers for next four years; committee can coopt any member of AFP as and when required; any other task as assigned by the AFP president.

The committee shall complete the assigned task within 90 days. However, the head of the Management Committee may request the competent authority for a time extension in exceptional circumstances necessary for implementation of above quoted mandate in accordance with the constitution of the AFP.