PFF Select 8 Pakistan Players from Rotherham Trials
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

LAHORE: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Faisal Saleh Hayat has said that the eight players picked from the Rotherham (England) tryouts are expected to link up with teams in the coming Pakistan Premier Soccer League (PPSL) being played in October.

“No matter they are British citizens now, these players are eligible to line up for Pakistan football teams because of their family heritage,” said the PFF chief, adding that the names of the players will be announced shortly.

The PPSL will be participated by 12 teams, nine departmental and three clubs.

The two-day trials to select budding football players of Pakistan origin were held on July 29-30 at South Yorkshire, a metropolitan county of England, at the Millmoor Ground.

PFF coordinator Muhammad Aref did well to bring 100-plus players of various age-limits who participated in the trials with keen interest.

The PFF chief said that the participation of foreign players will help in broadening the base of the game.

“We want to boost PPSL with the presence of foreign players, and above all to improve our national squad. We are taking seriously the next year’s 11th South Asian Games where our U23 team will aim zealously for hat-tricks of gold,” said Faisal Saleh Hayat.

“Several talented players of Pakistan origin are living abroad and we are well prepared to utilize their skill for our coming assignments in the international soccer circuit,” he added.

He said some of them will be challenging for a spot in the Pakistan starting lineup, ahead of the 7th SAFF Championship (Sri Lanka/Maldives), 19th World Cup qualifiers and Second AFC Challenge Cup 2008 (Chinese Taipei).

Four youngsters could be in the national colors even sooner, when Pakistan will take on Arabian nations Syria, Yemen, Oman, Qatar and Central Asian Kyrgyzstan in the AFC U16 Championship Qualifiers (Group-A) from October 17-28.

There are almost 750,000 Pakistani expatriates living in England, not one plays in the Premier League and just three are on the books of England’s lower league clubs.

Prominent among them is stopper Zesh Rahman who spent three seasons with Fulham before joining Queens Park Rangers last year. He wore Pakistani colours in December 2005’s 6th SAFF Championship despite reaching England U19 team.●