ICAW earn ticket to Portugal with Leisure Leagues win

KARACHI: Lahore’s ICAW beat Peshawar’s Shinwari Football Club here at Baloch Mujahid Stadium to win Leisure Leagues National Seven-a-side Football Championship, earning the right to represent Pakistan in International Socca Federation (ISF) World Cup to be held in Portugal in October this year

“The challenge has actually now started for us. We were representing Lahore as well as Punjab in National Championship but now the responsibility is much bigger,” said ICAW skipper Afaq Ahmed. “We will now be representing Pakistan in a six-a-side World Cup,” he added.

The final match saw a highly competitive game from both teams and the regulation time ended in a 0-0 draw.

In penalty kicks, ICAW emerged victorious with a 3-2 win.

Umer Javed, captain Afaq and Haider Ali struck for the winners. Alamgir and Siraj scored for Shinwari FC.

“This had been a huge event for us. I received a call from my father, who was delighted to see me receive the winners’ trophy from former President Mohammadmian Soomro on TV,” Ahmed added.

ICAW team consisted of Afaq, Umer, Haider, Muhammad Waleed, Abdul Hanan Javed, Saad Ali Khan, Zaid Mehmood, Aamir Iqbal Gondal and Zabiullah Warraich.

Ahmed praised all his teammates for putting up impressive performances. “We are happy that we justified our team’s name ICAW, which is an abbreviation of ‘I Can and Will’.”

In the semi-finals, Shinwari Football Club overpowered Karachi’s Khyber Muslim, while ICAW defeated Quetta’s Sherof Football Club.

Hyderabad’s FC Thunderbolt clinched the Fair Play award. The Best Goalkeeper award went to Quetta’s Sherof FC player Mohammad Bilal. ICAW’s Aamir Gondal won the Best Player award. Sherof FC player Kashif was the Top Scorer of the tournament.

Among the prominent people at the final were Sindh sports minister Junaid Ali Shah, former MNA Farooq Sattar, CEO World Group Anas Trunkwala, MD World Group Munir Trunkwala and Leisure Leagues COO Ishaq Shah.