Schedule for SAFF Cup preparation announced

KARACHI: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalisation Committee on Friday announced the schedule of the country’s men football team preparation for the SAFF Cup which will be held in Dhaka from September 14 to 25.

The first training camp is set to be conducted from May 21 to June 15, the PFF NC said. It said that the team will reunite from June 28 to July 20 which will be followed by another training camp from August 1 to 20. The squad will regroup from August 28 till the end of the SAFF Cup.

The venues for the training camps are yet to be decided, NC aid.

“Pakistan will have the opportunity to play international friendlies during the FIFA windows which remain open from May 31 to 15 June, August 30 to September 7, October 4 to 12 and November 8-16 this year,” it said.

“The PFF has approached all Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Member Associations, inviting them to play matches against Pakistan’s men’s team,” it added.

“The PFF had also started the recruiting process for the national side last month and has received around 16 applications before the application deadline. Announcements regarding the appointment of the men’s national team coaching staff, probables for the training camps and the final squad for the SAFF Championship will be made in due course,” it said.

“PFF will also announce the calendar for the Pakistan senior women national team and age-group teams of both men and women in the coming weeks. The domestic tournaments calendar will also be revealed in due course,” it said.

The PFF NC Chairman Haroon Malik was happy that after a long time national team players are being assembled for international commitment.

“The men’s national team being called finally back in action is a momentous breakthrough for the PFF. The camp is being organised immediately after eid in preparation for international competitions. The team will be competing in the SAFF Cup this September and the FIFA Windows for which we have approached all the AFC Member Associations,” Malik said.

The PFF National Technical Director Daniel Limones said: “National teams are our flagship for the rest of Asia and the world.

“We want to get the most out of the players who participate in the SAFF Cup. Hence, once we have carefully recruited the coaching staff that will interact with them, we will work with them for as long as is necessary to be able to put up a strong show in the competition,” he said.