Series against India confirmed, says PFF
England to host the three football matches in August.
KARACHI:
The uncertainty that had loomed over the India-Pakistan football series has finally come to an end as the matches, which were scheduled to start on July 8, will now begin on August 27, according to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
The PFF Marketing and Events Director Sardar Naveed Haider said that the Indian government has given permission to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to play the three-match series with Pakistan in England. The event had previously been postponed after the Indian interior ministry refused to issue the NOC for the series.
“We have constantly been in touch with the AIFF,” Haider told The Express Tribune. “The NOC has been issued, and we are now in the process of completing procedures and documents for the series.”
The team will depart for England on August 25 with the first one in Manchester two days later.
The second game will take place in Coventry on September 3 before London hosts the final match on September 9.
Haider believes that the series will benefit both countries, providing a unique opportunity for the players to play at a neutral venue and showcase their skills to the talent scouts in the country.
Meanwhile, an AIFF official has claimed that the federation has yet to receive any confirmation of dates from PFF.
In fact, news of the postponement was received only three days ago that resulted in the Indian team temporarily halting their preparation for the tour.
The two countries played a three-match series in 2005, which India won on goal-difference after the series was deadlocked 1-1.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2011.
The uncertainty that had loomed over the India-Pakistan football series has finally come to an end as the matches, which were scheduled to start on July 8, will now begin on August 27, according to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
The PFF Marketing and Events Director Sardar Naveed Haider said that the Indian government has given permission to the All India Football Federation (AIFF) to play the three-match series with Pakistan in England. The event had previously been postponed after the Indian interior ministry refused to issue the NOC for the series.
“We have constantly been in touch with the AIFF,” Haider told The Express Tribune. “The NOC has been issued, and we are now in the process of completing procedures and documents for the series.”
The team will depart for England on August 25 with the first one in Manchester two days later.
The second game will take place in Coventry on September 3 before London hosts the final match on September 9.
Haider believes that the series will benefit both countries, providing a unique opportunity for the players to play at a neutral venue and showcase their skills to the talent scouts in the country.
Meanwhile, an AIFF official has claimed that the federation has yet to receive any confirmation of dates from PFF.
In fact, news of the postponement was received only three days ago that resulted in the Indian team temporarily halting their preparation for the tour.
The two countries played a three-match series in 2005, which India won on goal-difference after the series was deadlocked 1-1.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 10th, 2011.