U-13 event unearths talent for Pakistan
Players must be groomed in order to become top footballers: coach.
KARACHI:
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-13 Festival in Iran has helped Pakistan unearth 10 players who can be groomed into world class players for the national side in the future, said coach Hasan Baloch.
Pakistan finished third in the tournament that also featured Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan besides the eventual champions Iran and runners-up India. According to Baloch, most of the players in the 22-member squad, picked by the coach himself, belonged to Karachi.
Pakistan, who made their first appearance in the event, scored 26 goals in nine matches.
“We’ve proved that there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan,” Baloch told The Express Tribune. “Munir Ahmed, who scored 10 goals, belongs to Lyari. These kids did so well in the tournament purely on the basis of their talent and not because they were trained well.
“All they need now is proper grooming and the Pakistan Football Federation needs to make sure that they stick to the game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2011.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Under-13 Festival in Iran has helped Pakistan unearth 10 players who can be groomed into world class players for the national side in the future, said coach Hasan Baloch.
Pakistan finished third in the tournament that also featured Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Afghanistan besides the eventual champions Iran and runners-up India. According to Baloch, most of the players in the 22-member squad, picked by the coach himself, belonged to Karachi.
Pakistan, who made their first appearance in the event, scored 26 goals in nine matches.
“We’ve proved that there is no dearth of talent in Pakistan,” Baloch told The Express Tribune. “Munir Ahmed, who scored 10 goals, belongs to Lyari. These kids did so well in the tournament purely on the basis of their talent and not because they were trained well.
“All they need now is proper grooming and the Pakistan Football Federation needs to make sure that they stick to the game.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 26th, 2011.