Crystal Palace have announced the appointment of Dr Zafar Iqbal as their Head of Sports Medicine.
Iqbal’s last job was at Liverpool, where he spent four and a half years. However, a time came where he had to leave his ‘dream job’ due to family commitments.
While he stayed and worked in Liverpool, the rest of his family resided in London. His son was suffering from an illness which meant he had to visit London more frequently and then it became too strenuous for Iqbal. Speaking to BBC Asian Network, he said:
“Unfortunately my son has been unwell, and so as a result of that my wife and kids were based in London.
“That meant that although I had my dream job working at Liverpool, I was commuting back and forth, which was fine for the first couple of years.
“In 2012 I became head of the department, and with that came added responsibilities, so I had less time to actually get back to London.
“As a result of that it really came to a head this year, being in the Champions League and not having a single day off in December, it meant I wasn’t able to get back down to London.
“Something had to give. I had a great time up in Liverpool, but as anyone will tell you family wins every time, and I had to get back to London.”
Iqbal graduated as a doctor at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry 16 years ago. He then went on to specify sports as his field of work by completing a Masters degree in sports and exercise medicine.
Iqbal has previously worked at Leyton Orient and Tottenham Hotspur before making the move to Liverpool. He spoke enthusiastically about joining the Eagles in an interview with the official club website, he said:
“I’m very excited by everything I’ve heard about the Club and everyone knows that Palace has a great fan base. The owners are looking to make major improvements across all areas of the Club and that excites me the most.”
