Zeeshan to join Bahrain soccer camp in two days time

LAHORE: Most of the foreign-based national players reported in the Pakistan football camp being held in Bahrain while Zeeshan Rehman, a renowned defender playing in Hong Kong League, will be the last to join in two days time.

Pakistan team will face Cambodia on June 6 and 11 for a 2-legged first round of FIFA World Cup qualifiers 2022. Head coach Jose Antonio Nogueira informed ‘The News’: “Morale of the green shirts is sky high.”

The players including Umer Hayat, Ali Khan Niazi, Abdullah Qazi, M Riaz, Raees Nabi, Naveed Rehman, Ali Uzair Mehmood, Shahban Hussein, Ahmad Fahim, Samir Nabi, Mehmood Khan, Tabish Hussain, M Ali, Hassan Bashir have already joined Pakistan camp in Bahrain, while Zesh Rehman, Yaqoob Ijaz and M Adnan Yaqoob are to join in days to come. Three goal keepers include Yousuf Butt, Ihsan Ullah, Mozammil Hussain who are training under the supervision of goal keeper coach Marcello Costa.

Pakistan has to take on Cambodia on June 6 which will be hosted by Cambodia while Pakistan hosted second leg match will be played on June 11 at Hamad Bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar.

Pakistan ranked 197 in the world, could only play 5 international matches since March 2018.

Pakistan national team lost 3 out of those 5 matches but succeeded in making a comeback by performing well in a competitive fashion in almost all matches they lost. They had the honour to stand 3rd in the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2018.

Although Pakistan has played less matches as compared to the Cambodian side and having a lower FIFA ranking, but still the composition of green shirts seems more composed than the opponents, said the coach.

Nogueira said that the morale of my boys is as high as sky, they are anxiously waiting to play for their country, “obviously playing a FIFA World Cup Qualifier for the country is a big honour” the coach said.

“We will field the best combination against the opponent” Nogueira said enthusiastically. Fitness trainer of Pakistan national football team Beto Portella is satisfied with the fitness level of the boys “we will not compromise on the fitness; the squad will be announced after taking measures to assure fitness of the players”. The camp in Bahrain is organized by FIFA-recognised Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).

On the other hand, another camp for the training and selection of Pakistan’s national football team, is still undergoing at the Jinnah Stadium Islamabad. This camp is held by Ashfaq Hussain-led PFF which is not recognized by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the same reason.