Swindon Town FC officials meet Karachi Commissioner

KARACHI: A three-member delegation of Swindon Town Football Club of England met Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon in his office on Monday.

The delegation was led by Zavier Austin, Vice Chairman of the club, and included Alex Pike and Chris Hull of Sky Sports.

They briefed the commissioner about the training program and arrangements for the young footballers of Karachi to play at the international level for two years in England. The delegation formed two teams at the KPT ground to evaluate the performance of the young footballers of Karachi and organised a match between them.

Zavier Austin told the commissioner that the selected players will receive training at Swindon FC in England and participate in the club's matches. He said that initially two players and two coaches are being selected for training in England.

“Swindon Town under the supervision of England coach Alex Pike has already completed the training phase of Karachi's young footballers," he said.

Zavier Austin said that the training of selected young footballers from Karachi in England will meet the requirements of world-level football.

"This journey has been started by Commissioner Karachi. The children of Karachi have all the skills to participate in world-class football competitions. In order to help selected youngsters obtain athletic training in the UK despite their limited English language skills, a special program has been developed in partnership with the American Cultural Center," said Zavier Austin.

Iqbal said on the occasion that for the first time the talented football players of Karachi will be trained according to international standards. "One day we will see these children of Karachi in action in international football competitions," he added.

In February last year, a memorandum of understanding was signed according to which Swindon Town FC will bear the training and expenses during the two years.