Brazilian trainer Jose Roberto Portella arrives tomorrow

KARACHI: Brazilian trainer Jose Roberto Portella will reach Lahore on Friday (tomorrow) to join Pakistan football team which begins preparation for the Asian Games and SAFF Cup.

As many as 56 home-grown players have been invited to the camp, which will start on Friday night at the Model Ground in Lahore. Brazilian coach Jose Antonio Nogueira will supervise the camp.

The players will start arriving in Punjab capital from Thursday (today). They will stay at the Sports Board Punjab’s (SBP) hostel. There will be a rest day after every nine days. The camp will be reduced to 40 players after 15 days of training.

Nogueira, who has previously coached Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli club, says he will be able to form a fighting side. “We are to start from below zero, but I am confident that gradually the players will improve and we will be able to form a fighting lot for the Asian Games and SAFF Cup,” Nogueira told ‘The News’ on Wednesday.

Nogueira, along with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Technical Study Group (TSG), has picked the players from the National Challenge Cup which was held early this month in Karachi.

In the first phase which will last till June 20, only home-grown players will be trained. Players based in other countries will join the camp in the second phase.Denmark-based gloveman Yousuf Butt and strikers Hassan Bashir and Mohammad Ali are expected to be part of Pakistan’s side.

Danish Superliga midfielder Adnan Mohammad will come to Pakistan on June 10. On the first day of the camp, a medical check-up of players will be conducted. In the Asian Games to be held in Indonesia from August 18 to September 2 an under-23 side, with three seniors, will be fielded. In the SAFF Cup, to be held in Bangladesh from September 4-15, a full senior side may be fielded. Nogueira said that only six-day break would be given to the players for Eid-ul-Fitr.

“Only six days, not more as time is already short,” Nogueira said.June 10 is the last date for sending entries by name for the Asian Games. The entries will be forwarded to the organisers of the Asiad through Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

This will be after three years that Pakistan will hold its national team camp. The conflict between PFF and its rival group destroyed Pakistan’s football.The country did not feature in any international event during the period. It could also not hold its Premier League in the period.

Because of the strained relations between Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and PFF, the government is not likely to sponsor Pakistan football team for the Asian Games.The PFF will have to meet its expenses from its own resources.