PFF fulfills promise to hold Intercity football tournament

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah said on Tuesday that the federation has fulfilled its promise to hold an Inter-city football tournament.

"We had promised to hold the tournament to promote the game of football in Pakistan. As many as 41 teams will be seen in action during this event," he told media at a press briefing at the Pakistan Sports Complex.

The first phase of the tournament kicked off on Monday with fixtures taking place in Karachi, Peshawar and Quetta. On Tuesday, matches were played in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Matches have also been organised in Muzaffarabad, Sialkot, Dera Ismail Khan, Hyderabad and Mastung.

"The second phase of the tournament will start on April 23, while the final will be held on May 3," Ashfaq said.

He said all the expenses from trials to training camp were borne by the federation.

Speaking on the occasion PFF vice president and MNA Muhammad Amir Dogar said the tournament will not only promote football in the country but also help discover new talent.

Despite limited resources, PFF will award prizes to the teams. The team that wins the tournament will get Rs450,000, runner-up will receive Rs270,000 and the team finishing third will receive Rs150,000.

Amir acknowledged there is no dearth of football talent in the country and there is only need to provide better facilities to players.

He said a delegation, comprising Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) officials will reach Lahore in April to review prevailing football situation in the country.