Footballers likely to tour Bahrain

KARACHI: Pakistan football team is expected to tour Bahrain in the middle of next month to get some practice matches ahead of the Asian Games, sources told ‘The News’ on Monday.

Senior officials of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) are expected to hold meetings with football governing bodies of Bahrain and other nations during the FIFA World Cup, which will explode into action in Moscow from June 14.

PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat, Secretary General Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi and PFF Congress member Robina Irfan will grace the opening ceremony of the World Cup.

“Bahrain tour is very much possible,” a source said.

The sources said if tours were arranged then Pakistan would go to Bahrain by middle of July for a few matches.

They said that Bahrain has some good clubs and playing with them will enable Pakistan to have good match practice ahead of the Asian Games slated to be held in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to September 2.

The Games draws are yet to be unveiled. As per rules of the continental event the participating nations may field the under-23 team, along with three senior players, in football competitions which will begin from August 14 at four different cities of Indonesia. This would be the biggest football event in the history of the Asian Games as 32 teams would be vying for the title.

The outfits will be bracketed in eight groups with four teams each. The leading one side from each group will progress to the quarter-finals.

The sources said that besides arranging a tour of Bahrain the PFF is also trying to finalise a deal with any other country so that some more matches could be given to the brigade.

“You know training tours are very important as Pakistan have not played international football during the last three years.”

Soon after the Asian Games, Pakistan will move to Bangladesh to feature in the SAFF Cup which will be held from September 4-15.

In the SAFF Cup, Pakistan have been clubbed in Group A with the former winners and hosts Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. The Greenshirts will begin their title quest with their opener against Nepal on September 4. This would be followed by their encounter against Bangladesh on September 6 and Bhutan on September 8.

Meanwhile, the first phase of Pakistan team training was concluded in Lahore on Monday. The camp, carrying 60 players, will resume from June 20 after a week break for Eid-ul-Fitr.

Brazilian coach Jose Antonio Nogueira and Brazilian trainer Jose Portella are conducting the camp. Team sources said that the trainer has done a great job during the first phase and has been able to improve the fitness level of the players who were lying rustic due to a long lay-off because of the conflict between PFF and its rival group.