Foosball: King of the little men

Saleem's real talent is on display at the foosball, locally called patti, table.

An electrician by day, 18-year-old Saleem is a star ‘athlete’ at night.

He deals with wires and circuits all day long but his real talent is on display at the foosball, locally called patti, table when he beats at least four people on a daily basis. He is the undefeated Lyari patti king.

Saleem plays at Rehan Baloch’s patti joint where around 80 people use the two tables everyday, paying Rs15 per game. They also participate in weekly individual and team championships where rewards vary from Rs3,000 to Rs10,000.

An old sport

Foosball came into light in the late 19th century, gaining popularity in the US by the year 1930. However, it took the aficionados of the game a very long time to form the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) in France when it finally came into existence in 2002.

The organisation has 66 member countries and holds annual grands prix. Various events from the Masters series to professional tours take place under its banner where the maximum prize-money goes as high as $150,000.

Cult following in Pakistan

Although there is no representation from Pakistan in the ITSF, the game enjoys a cult following in the country with Karachi witnessing a dense following in Lyari, Ranchore Lines and Kharadar.

According to Saleem, youngsters, with the same passion for the sport, find foosball a highly addictive and rewarding activity, which they enjoy as a source of cheap entertainment and fun.

“I feel like a champion when I win at foosball,” said Saleem.

Foosball, however, is facing stiff competition from other games likes billiards, joints for which have cropped up in Lyari, and that are taking over.

In a bid to promote the game, Saleem and Baloch are trying to generate funds  in order to buy better tables from Hong Kong, underlying their commitment to the game.

Tracing the history of the game in the country, Baloch believed that since it always enjoyed the perception of being a ‘poor man’s sport’, a formal federation for foosball was never formed despite the popularity it enjoys in the country.

“In Pakistan, the game was introduced in the early 1970s and it became an instant hit,” said Baloch.

Sharing Baloch’s passion for the game, Omair Ahmed tried to gather foosball fans from different segments of society on one platform but his efforts faced impediments.

His attempt to host Foosball Cup 2011, scheduled to take place on June 4, hit a roadblock and had to be postponed when he could not find sponsors for the event. However, in just two weeks, Ahmed got 341 entries for the two-day championship, handing him hopes that if the event does take place, Pakistan will be able to participate in the ITSF World Championship that takes place next year.

How to play

Foosball is an in-door game, played on a table that contains eight rows of foosmen.

A normal match requires two to four players, where each side controls four rows of foosmen. The kick-off is decided by the toss of a coin. The player/team that scores a predetermined number of goals first - generally five, ten, or eleven - wins the match.



Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2011.