Atletico Penarol FC Under-16 to visit Pakistan

KARACHI: Atletico Penarol FC Under-16, a Uruguay football club, will tour Pakistan in April to play a three-match series against Pakistan XI FC, the event organiser told ‘The News’ on Monday.

He said that two matches would be conducted at Karachi and the third one would either be held at Lahore or Multan.“We are yet to decide about the venue of one game. But most probably it would be held in Multan or Lahore,” the organiser said.

He added that in May Pakistan would also tour Uruguay for three-match series. He said a company, Vision Pak, has been established in order to undertake the project. The official said that as per FIFA statistics, Atletico Penarol was the biggest club of South America and eighth in the world.

The organiser said that country-wide trials would be conducted to form Pakistan XI Under-16. “We have already identified centres where we will hold trials and I am confident we will raise a solid squad,” the organiser said.

“This would be our first step. I am in contact with clubs of other countries but first we would like to make the coming event a success,” he said.There has been little football activity in Pakistan for the last three years because of fight between Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and a rival group headed by Arshad Lodhi and Zahir Shah, both former PFF congress members.

No Pakistan team has toured abroad since April 2015. Last October FIFA suspended PFF for third party interference.Last year Leisure Leagues, a company of World Group, managed a tour of former Brazilian icon Ronaldinho and other foreign players who played one game each in Karachi and Lahore.