Football: Rehman, Shabbir pull out of AFC Challenge Cup

Foreign-based players off to their respective clubs’ duties.

KARACHI: Defender Zesh Rehman and UK-based left-back Shabbir Khan will not be available for Pakistan in the AFC Challenge Cup 2014 qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan starting from March 17.

Pakistan coach Zavisa Milosavjlevic had been reportedly pinning his hopes on the foreign-based players due to their experience with different clubs abroad.

Rehman has been successfully playing for Hong Kong’s The Kitchee FC. However, the former Fullham defender will not be joining the team due to his matches with the club, whereas Shabbir who plays for Worcester City FC will also miss out on the qualifiers.

Meanwhile, the Denmark-based quartet Hassan Bashir, Yousuf Butt, Yaqoob Butt and Mohammad Ali have been named in the squad, and UK-based Adnan Ahmed is also expected to play in the tournament, according to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi.



“The two defenders will not join the team,” Lodhi told The Express Tribune. “They are busy with their clubs; but the remaining players will be there.”

Pakistan will be facing Tajikistan on March 17 in their opening match of the qualifiers, while they will compete with the hosts and Macau in group B the following week. The team’s aim is to win at least two out of their three matches in order to secure second position in the group to progress to the next round of the tournament.

The PFF had scheduled another practice tour to Dubai a week before the event to provide the squad with another opportunity to work on their combination.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2013.