F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: The biggest ever Pakistan Football Super League (PFSL) carrying top players from across the world would be organized in October this year on two different venues in Peshawar and Karachi respectively.
This was stated by President FATA Olympic Association Shahid Khan Shinwari while addressing a press conference here at Media Center of the Qayyum Sports Complex on Wednesday. He said preparations for the biggest ever footballing event of Pakistan’s history have already been kicked off.
He said there will be three different stages from where players would be selected including Platinum, Pakistan International and Emerging categories. He said two international players would be selected only under Platinum category by each of the five franchises. In that category it will be mandatory for the franchise to select only those players who played World Cup final.
About the PFSL, Shahid Khan said that the initiative was taken only to promote football in Pakistan as there is no dearth of football talent but such talent lack opportunities. He said recently held meeting with Federation Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Dr. Fehmida Mirza and Secretary IPC and they have extended full support for holding the mega football event.
He said it is difficult to hold PFSL without government support and that is why he had taken all the stake holders including Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), Ministry of IPC Director General Sports KP, Minister Sports KP and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa into confidence.
Shahid Khan disclosed that the PFSL matches would be organized in Khyber Pkhtunkhwa and Karachi. Shahid said that he is looking for help from the international donors as well international sponsors and would be succeeded in attracting them toward the promotion of football in Pakistan.
For attracting the youth toward football, he said, such step has been taken to hold the Football Super League. No one come up for the promotion of football in Pakistan earlier on and that is why Pakistan is at the bottom in the world ranking despite having matchless talent in the game, he added.
He said inviting international football stars to be part of all five franchises mean a good message to the rest of the world from Pakistan. He said despite more talent in Pakistan the game has been ignored and a big number of talented players have been wasted every year.
With the league, he said, not only new faces would be come up at national and international levels but it would also provide an opportunity to the young players to see top players in action. He disclosed that before the Super League, exhibition matches would be organized in merger tribal districts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi wherein the players of tribal district would be play in Islamabad while Islamabad would be invited to play in tribal districts. Likewise similarly the matches at Lahore, Karachi and Balochistan would be organzied on home and away basis with the aim to give due opportunities to the players earlier being neglected on one way or the other. He also thanked Minister IPC and Secretary IPC for extending all out support in this connection.
