PAF, NBP qualify for Challenge Cup quarters

PFF increases total prize money for football event.

KARACHI:

PAF and NBP finished as the top two teams from Group D to qualify for the quarter-finals of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Challenge Cup 2013 yesterday.

PAF won 3-1 despite conceding a goal early in the 27th minute, courtesy NBP’s Muhammad Asif. PAF captain Muhammad Mujahid equalised in the 52nd minute, while Muhammad Arif doubled the score in the 73rd. He went on to strike another goal in the third minute of extra-time to seal the win.

PAF play Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (Paca) in the quarter-final today, while NBP will play defending champions KRL.

“We are the under-dogs,” PAF coach Arshad Khan told The Express Tribune. “My team has maintained its form since the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL). We finished fifth because we skipped our last four PPFL matches otherwise we played well throughout the season. I’m sure we can do the same in the Challenge Cup. I’m confident we can beat Paca to qualify for the semi-finals.”



Higher prize money in this year’s edition

Meanwhile, the last eight teams will be vying for a prize-money of Rs300,000, an amount which was Rs200,000 the previous year.

According to the tournament manager Rauf Bari, the PFF increased the total prize-money of the tournament from Rs600,000 to Rs700,000 this year.

“We increased the budget for the tournament this year,” said Bari. “Even though the total cost of holding the Challenge Cup is Rs3.5 million, the Bahawalpur Football Association is collaborating with us so we had the leverage to boost the winners’ purse.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2013.