Ace footballer was going to Berkeley

KARACHI: A University of California, Berkeley student from Karachi Grammar School was among the victims of the plane crash on Wednesday. Nineteen-year-old Misha Dawood was on her way to attend the National Women Football Championship being held in Islamabad.

“It was really hard, too hard to convince my team to get on with the game and play without their Maradona,” said Diya football club’s owner Saadia Sheikh while talking to The Express Tribune. “The girls didn’t want to play but I told them that the only way we can pay our tribute to Misha is by winning the match.”

Diya Football Club’s match against Punjab FC went ahead on Wednesday. Misha had been on her way to catch up with the team that had left for the championship on July 24. She took the first flight of the day to be there before the match started at 5 pm at Jinnah Stadium.

Misha was an excellent athlete, with a smile on her face and a friendly attitude; she was a treat to have around, Sheikh said. The mid-fielder was known as the team’s Maradona and was very excited about playing in the championship matches when Sheikh spoke to her on the phone two days ago.

The athletic captain of her school house when she attended Karachi Grammar School, Misha had just completed her first year at the University of California, Berkeley. However, she had a special place for football in her life, she would fly to Pakistan to meet her family in Karachi and participate with Diya Club at the national level every year.

She became a regular with the club in 2008, when her hattrick against Sindh Soccerites led her team to win 6-0 in the Inter-Club Women’s Football Championship.

Diya FC went on to win against the defending champion Punjab FC 2-0 and cruised into the quarter final, but without her, dedicating the win to her name.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2010.