While former football stars are landing in Delhi and the investments in the new Indian league are flowing like a mighty stream, not so far away in Pakistan we get a different picture of football.
We had the pleasure of hosting Shahrukh Sohail, a Pakistani football expert and journalist, for a conversation about the here and now of his country's football scene. Enjoy.
Is football big in Pakistan? Is the fan base big?
Absolutely. Football is very popular here in Pakistan and there is a big football fan base. Unfortunately, the majority is not for Pakistani football, but for European football such as the Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, etc. The National Football Team is becoming popular, but Cricket is still the country’s No.1 sport.
Are large sums of money invested in the league? In the teams?
The money invested in Pakistani football mostly comes from the Football Federation, government sources and donations from international organisations like FIFA.
What is the league's structure?
The Pakistani Premier League runs from September to January. The Second division, the PFF (Pakistani Football Federation) League, plays from November to January. The National Challenge Cup is played between March and April, in a Knock-Out format. In addition, each city has its own league, those are the lower divisions.
Are clubs owned by businessmen, communities or the government?
Most clubs in the Premier League belong to government departments, army forces, state companies and a few private businesses.
Who are the big teams?
K- Electric (KESC, Karachi), KRL (Islamabad) and Pakistani Air force (Islamabad) are considered to be the biggest teams in Premier League. KRL won a few consecutive championships in recent years; K-Electric, who signed two promising Nigerian players, look like serious contenders for this season’s title and Pakistan Air Force FC are also very strong.
Are there any clubs which have certain political orientations or a specific socio-economic fan base?
Afghan FC and Muslim FC from Chaman are certainly two special clubs. Chaman is a medium-sized city near the border with Afghanistan, but it is known as a city of football, with many fans, people’s big passion for the game and two clubs that produce a lot of players for the National Team. The matches between the two teams are Chaman’s Derby, with usually some 35,000 attendees on average, in a pretty hot atmosphere.
Do Pakistani teams perform well at continental level?
Well, only in the secondary tournament, the AFC President Cup. KRL reached the final in 2013 and it was a very big achievement for Pakistani football.
Who are the main Stars of Pakistani Football?
Right now Kaleemullah is Pakistan’s best player. He’s only 22, already the National Team’s Captain, the 2012 Premier League Top Scorer with 35 Goals and now he’s playing for FC Dordoi in Kyrgyzstan. We have four Pakistani players who play abroad. Three players playing in Kyrgyzstan and Mohammed Emad, who plays in Bahrain.
The answer to your question is complex. Pakistani football has one thing that should be an advantage, but it is being used badly. There are many players that have Pakistani origins and passports that live and play abroad as professionals and are willing to play for the Pakistan National Team, like Hasan Bashir (Svebølle B&I, Denmark) and Mohammed Ali (Fremad Amager, Denmark). Sadly, The National Coach, Mohammed Al Shamlan, who arrived as a gift from the Bahraini Football Federation, doesn't pick these foreign-based Pakistani players. The Pakistani Federation organised a month-long camp for the national players, and the ones that play abroad couldn’t participate in all of it, so the coach decided not to pick them for the team. That’s really a crucial decision for our country’s football future.
What are the relations between the public and the media as regards the National team? Are the expectations high at every tournament or game?
Fans are fans all over the world, they always have expectations. The Media here produces decent and positive coverage about the National Team, but the team must win in order to gain the audience’s popularity.
What are the conditions of the football academies in Pakistan? Are they growing? Do they invest in youth?
There are no serious national football academies in Pakistan; no system that controls organises and monitors young talent. There is no youth football project that’s working right now, and this doesn't seem to be about to change soon. Most players were discovered while playing as amateurs. The heads of the Football Federation set qualifying for the 2022 World Cup as our goal, but it’s a populist statement for the people. It’s aiming for the stars, but without working for it.
What is Pakistani Football’s greatest moment so far?
A 0-0 draw with Iraq, in the 2010 World Cup qualifier in Damascus. At that time, we had Zesh Rehman, Amjad Iqbal, Adnan Ahmed, Iltaf Ahmed and Mohammad Qasim; all were good players that could defend well.
Do you think the changes and the money that is going to India now, as part of the ISL foundation, will also affect and be influential in Pakistan?
The ISL is a huge project. It is managed by marketing professionals, experienced sports managers and of course, the game's top professionals. I am not sure if it will affect Pakistan, because the Pakistani Federation’s “professionals” are ex-army men, ex-politicians that are not up to this level.
So, after years of writing and working in Pakistani football, where do you see Pakistani footballin ten years from now?
There are two scenarios. The first is the optimistic one. We will play with our best players, select players of Pakistani origin players from abroad, and Pakistan will become a top side in Asia. The second is more stagnant and pessimistic. Nothing changes, corruption and a semi-professional culture will continue to dominate the scene, and there will be no progress. This is why Al- Shamlan's decision is critical. The future of our football, our opportunity to build something big, rests on his decision on the foreign-based Pakistani players.
Thank you for this enlightening talk, Shahrukh. Before we say goodbye, here are some ‘Personal Football Questions’.
Who's your favourite Team?
Manchester United and the Pakistan National team.
Who’s your favourite player?
Ryan Giggs.
What do you consider the greatest football moment of all time?
Pakistan beating Bangladesh 2-1 in injury time at the 2013 South Asian Football Federation Championship, from Kaleemullah’s goal. I left the media section and ran to celebrate with the players on the pitch!
What is your dream in football?
My dream is to cover Pakistan at the World Cup. No doubt about it.
Shahrukh Sohail is the Chief Editor of FootballPakistan.com, Pakistan's Ambassador to the UNODC Global Youth Initiative and an aspiring Entrepreneur. Shahrukh tweets as @ShahrukhSohail7 twitter.com/shahrukhsohail7.
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