Women’s football: SAFF Championship preparations to begin in earnest

Pakistan plays host to the international event as Indian team given NOC

KARACHI:

The preparations for the South Asian Football Federation (Saff) Championship 2014 will begin in earnest in Islamabad today, as the Pakistan government issued NOCs for the Indian team to arrive for the event.

According to Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi, the Saff Championship will be instrumental in changing the perception of women’s football in Pakistan. The event will feature teams from India, Afghanistan, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka along with hosts Pakistan.

“It’s going to be a big event for women’s football in the country,” Lodhi told The Express Tribune. “It’s an international tournament and we want to make sure that everything goes according to plan. In fact, we are working with the government on this. Finally, they have issued NOCs for the Indian team to come for the event. India are the defending champions so it’s important for them to come.”



Lodhi said that the PFF will also ensure the security of the teams and the Punjab government has to be supportive in designing the security plans. “The teams will get top-notch security from their arrival to their departure and the venue will be secure as well, especially since it’s a women’s event,” said Lodhi. “We’ll be spending around Rs2 million on the entire event.”

The secretary added that the teams will begin to arrive in Lahore from today, while the championship will begin on November 11 at the Jinnah Stadium.

“We are hoping that Pakistan competes well, but India is also a very good side,” said Lodhi. “Our team is still maturing and they need to improve. But we are hoping for a good level of competition from all the teams in the tournament.”

According to team coach Tariq Lufti, the Saff championship can be a defining moment for women’s football in Pakistan. “This event can define the sport in Pakistan,” said Lutfi. “We’ve made sure that we promote young athletes who have agility and tactical awareness. These women will play a different form of football as compared to their seniors.”

Meanwhile, Lutfi feels that Nepal and India enter the tournament as favourites, while Pakistan will also face tough competition from Afghanistan. “Afghanistan’s players are physically stronger and they pick girls from Germany and the US. We lost to them 4-0 in the last edition of the championship, but we’re now experimenting and will try to beat them,” said Lutfi.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2014.

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