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Football in Pakistan

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Association football is a popular sport in Pakistan, alongside other sports such as cricket and field hockey, and is organised and regulated by the Pakistan Football Federation.[1][2][3][4]

History

Foundation of PFF

Football in Pakistan is as old as the country itself.[5] Shortly after the creation of Pakistan in 1947, Pakistan Football Federation(PFF) was created and Muhammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) became its first Patron-in-Chief. PFF got its recognition from FIFA in early 1948.[6]

Early years

The game was organised with the National Championship being held annually. Pakistan for the first time in 1950 sent a national team to Iran and Iraq to gain experience at the international level. In 1954, Pakistan National Team participated in the Asian Games at Manila and also toured the Far East. In 1958, Pakistan again took part in the Tokyo Asian Games. Pakistan also had been taking part in the annual Asian Quadrangular Tournament.[6]

Decline

The game could not develop as smoothly as it should have.[7] Pakistan's participation in international competitions has not been regular. The standard achieved in the early 1950s could not be maintained because of lack of organization of the game on modern lines and Groupism among the organizers.[6]

League system

The highest football division in Pakistan is the Pakistan Premier League, which expanded from 14 to 16 teams in August 2010.[8]

Cup competitions

The Pakistan National Football Challenge Cup is the national knockout competition of football in Pakistan.

National team

The Pakistan national football team is a member of the Asian Football Confederation, and its sub-confederation the South Asian Football Federation, as well as world governing board FIFA.[9][10]

References

  1. ^ "A history of football in Pakistan — Part I". Dawn.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  2. ^ "Football Reclaims Lives of Pakistani Street Kids - India Real Time - WSJ". Blogs.wsj.com. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  3. ^ "FIFA, AFC committed to promoting soccer in Pakistan: PFF president". Nation.com.pk. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  4. ^ "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". Dawn.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  5. ^ "Far Post: Sialkot, Pakistan - Where soccer gets made - Soccer - SI.com". Sportsillustrated.cnn.com. 11 February 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  6. ^ a b c "Govt Sports Portal". Sports.gov.pk. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  7. ^ "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". Dawn.com. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  8. ^ "PFF approves two more teams in Premier League". The Nation. 12 August 2010. Retrieved 22 September 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ John Duerden. "Pakistan's football team missing in action - Football". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  10. ^ Zahid, Samee (23 August 2012). "Pakistani Football: Where are you? – The Express Tribune Blog". Blogs.tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 1 March 2014.

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