Gohar Zaman

Gohar Zaman is a Pakistani football manager and former footballer who played as a forward. He holds various coaching certifications and has served in multiple capacities for national teams.

Early life and education

Zaman was born on 15 December 1979 in Faqeerabad, Peshawar. He attended Peshawar University where he graduated with a Master of Arts in Urdu literature. His passion for sports began during his school days. In 1989, at the age of 10, he joined the Frontiers Scouts club to play football.

Career

Zaman played for the Abbottabad based Youth League FC in 1994. His team clinched the Lifebuoy Trophy title that year. After this performance, he was scouted and included in WAPDA. He joined the National Football Championship departmental side Allied Bank in 1995.

During his time with Allied Bank, he won the first title in 1997. He secured consecutive titles in 1999 and 2000. The player also won the National Football Challenge Cup four times. These victories occurred in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2002. His playing career ended in 2002 because Allied Bank abolished their football team.

His international appearances began with the Pakistan under-23 team during the 1996 Summer Olympics qualifiers. He later featured for the Pakistan senior team in the 1996 AFC Asian Cup qualification. Following the 1999 South Asian Games, he participated in the 2000 AFC Asian Cup qualification. During the 2002 World Cup qualifiers, he became the only Pakistani footballer to score a hat-trick in a World Cup match. He completed this feat within 40 minutes against Sri Lanka during a 3–3 draw. Zaman also represented Pakistan at the 2002 Asian games in Busan.

After retiring, he completed AFC "C" and "B" Certificate Football Coaching courses in Lahore during 2002 and 2006. He attended several FIFA Special Coaching Courses led by instructors such as Jimmy Shoulder and Erich Rutemöller. In 2006, he joined the coaching staff of the Pakistan under-14 team. He was appointed as the assistant manager of the Pakistan national football team in 2007.

In 2009, Zaman served as head coach of the Pakistan national under-19 football team for the 2010 AFC U-19 Championship qualification in Iran. He was dismissed from his assistant manager position in 2012 under Faisal Saleh Hayat. The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) cited allegations of irresponsibility for this dismissal. However, it was reported that the real reason involved his refusal to hand over salary received from the Asian Football Confederation's Aid-27 program to the PFF.

Following the expulsion of Hayat by FIFA, he returned to the assistant role in 2019 for a tour in Malaysia. He coached WSTC at the 2023–24 PFF National Challenge Cup. In 2025, he was appointed assistant coach of the Pakistan national under-23 team. He works under Nolberto Solano for the 2026 AFC U-23 Asian Cup qualifiers.

Awards and recognition

Zaman won three National Football Championship titles with Allied Bank in 1997, 1999 and 2000. He earned four Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup titles in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2002.