Domestic leagues, undomesticated challenges
It was predicted in my previous column that if somehow the Pakistan Football Federation managed to hold the League this year, the tournament will fail to attract any attention. This is exactly what happened and with the absence of an official kick-off ceremony, the country’ most prestigious football event has failed to gain rhythm and attention in sports circles despite starting simultaneously in five different cities.
Football is a low-profile sport in Pakistan and a domestic league is the only way to promote the game here. Though with the floods and subsequent law and order problem in the country it is expected that the event would hardly succeed in promoting football. However, most troublesome is the inadequate timing and inordinate scheduling, which is “objectionable” for teams and their managements.
An official of a domestic club said that he was dissatisfied at the ill-planning of the organisers. “First of all the league started abruptly and I don’t think it can finish this year. No team has the capability to play a full season in this manner.
“The schedule is also objectionable as I don’t see some matches being played. My team won’t travel to disrupted areas for away encounters.”
The Premiership was always criticised for its short duration. The three-month tournament saw 14 teams playing 28 matches and with such a packed schedule, injury to players was a concern. However, the PFF pledged that from this year, the domestic league season would span four months. But with the announced schedule, the promise seems fruitless.
In the first phase of the tournament that began on September 16, 168 matches out of 240 will be played before Eidul Azha. The second phase will see 54 matches until Ashura. The remaining 18 matches will be held in Karachi to cap the season on December 28. Now this is a cause of serious concern.
And with the induction of two new names this year, the team will play three to four matches a week, resulting in greater player burnout, not to mention compromising the quality of play. Another official senior coach of a departmental team voiced the same opinion. “The PFF allows us to field a squad of 20 players but I don’t think any team can perform with even 40. Also the absence of training and hectic commutation doesn’t help either.”
Meanwhile, some of the teams especially from Punjab are reluctant to play their away matches against Afghan FC and Nowshki Baluch because of the security situation in Balochistan. Pakistan Army usually does not play in Chaman, the hometown of Afghan FC, and last year Wapda and other teams also declined to play in the border town. These matches were then organised elsewhere but if the sitiation arose again, it will not sit down well with Balochistan, who lose their home advantage.
Given all this, the PFF is in a pickle, and needs to counter the climate factor in winter as well, particularly in Balochistan and Lahore where cold weather and heavy fog are unavoidable obstacles.
M Wasim is a freelance writer
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2010.
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