Wohaib FC
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| Full name | Hafiz Wohaib Butt Memorial Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 | ||
| Ground | Punjab Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 15,000 | ||
| Chairman | Hafiz Salman Butt | ||
| League | PFF League Division B | ||
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Hafiz Wohaib Butt Memorial Football Club or simply Wohaib FC is a professional football club based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Wohaib is the first Pakistani club to pass the qualifying round of the Asian Club Championship, where it qualified in the 1992–93 edition.[1][2]
History
Early years
The club was formed in December 1982 by former Pakistan Football Federation president and member of the National Assembly of Pakistan Hafiz Salman Butt in the memory of his younger brother Hafiz Wohaib Butt.[1][3] The club developed a youth system providing players for the Pakistan national team such as Qazi Ashfaq.
Emergence (1992–1999)
The club participated in the 1992–93 Asian Club Championship, where they earned victories over clubs from Bahrain and Bangladesh to qualify for Group B.[2] After losing by 10–1 to Al-Wasl in the opening fixture, they came back and drew 1–1 with PAS Tehran FC in their final group game. For their efforts, Wohaib FC was ranked 5th place in Asian Club Championship that year.[1] The club also borrowed members of the Pakistan national team for the tournament, including Zafar Iqbal ‘Mama’ from PIA, goalkeeper Mateen Akhtar from WAPDA, and Nauman Khan from Pakistan Army who combined with Wohaib's best talent to take part in the tournament.[1] Later on, Hafiz Salman's sacking from the Pakistan Football Federation affected the club as departmental clubs took away their best talent and the ones that stayed behind were not given the chances they deserved for selection in national team for the upcoming years.[1]
Pakistan Premier League era (2004–2008)
Wohaib F.C. was among the first privately operated football teams in Pakistan as well as being a founding member club of the Pakistan Premier League back in the inaugural 2004–05 season.[4]
In the 2006–07 season, Wohaib FC narrowly missed out on being relegated after finishing just one point above the relegated Habib Bank.
Downfall (2007–present)
In the 2007–08 season, they were relegated after losing 8 players to other clubs and internal destabilisation. The football club stirred controversy after inaccurately registering the Nigerian player Akeem Abbas Olajuwon, neglecting to secure the necessary No Objection Certificate.[5] The player received minimal compensation from Wohaib and became stuck in the country as a result, ultimately resulting in his visa overstay for months.[6] Stranded without support from the federation and the club itself, Akeem found assistance from former referee Ahmed Jan, who offered him shelter and covered the expenses for his flight back home.[7][8]
Wohaib F.C. won the 2011–12 PFF League, earning promotion to the 2012–13 Pakistan Premier League under the captaincy of Fouad Nisar. However, they were relegated once again at the end of the season.[9]
Competitive record
The club's competitive records since the 2004–05 season are listed below.
| Season | Div | Tms | Pos | National Challenge Cup | AFC President's Cup | AFC Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004–05 | Pakistan Premier League | 16 | 10 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2005–06 | Pakistan Premier League | 12 | 10 | Group stage | DNP | DNP |
| 2006–07 | Pakistan Premier League | 12 | 10 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2007–08 | Pakistan Premier League | 14 | 14 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2008–09 | PFF League | 15 | Semi-finals | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2009–10 | PFF League | 18 | Group stage | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2010–11 | PFF League | 16 | Final group stage | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2011–12 | PFF League | 17 | 2 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2012–13 | Pakistan Premier League | 16 | 16 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2013–14 | PFF League | 24 | Group stage | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2014–15 | PFF League | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| 2020–21 | PFF League | 19 | Group stage | Group stage | DNP | DNP |
Performance in AFC competitions
Wohaib F.C. are the first Pakistani club to have qualified for the group stages of Asian Club Championship in 1992-93 season, where they finished in the last position. Al Wasl hammered them 10–0, and they drew 1–1 to the eventual champions PAS Tehran.
- Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
- 1992-93: Group Stage
Notable players
The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before or after playing for Wohaib FC.
References
- ^ a b c d e Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ a b Wasim, Umaid (2021-01-30). "OBITUARY: Hafiz Salman Butt — Pakistan football's influential firebrand". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ "Hafiz Salman recalls good old days of Pakistan football". The Nation. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ "Pakistan 2004". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "PFF penalises Wohaib Club for violation of rules". DAWN.COM. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Ali, Shazad (2008-02-17). "Wohaib Club foul-play leaves Nigerian player badly stranded". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Stranded Nigerian footballer heads home after long ordeal". DAWN.COM. 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Ahsan, Ali (2012-11-05). "PPFL: Dribbling with mediocrity". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2012-12-26). "Woeful Wohaib relegated from PPFL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
External links
- Wohaib FC at Global Sports Archive