SAFF Championship: Pakistan women open campaign against Sri Lanka today

Winning the first match is crucial, says coach Tariq Lutfi

KARACHI: The Pakistan women’s football team will undertake the opportunity to become national heroes when they open their South Asian Football Federation (Saff) Championship campaign in Islamabad on Tuesday.

They will face Sri Lanka, who played the semi-final of the championship in 2010, in hopes of setting a winning tone for the remainder of the event.

According to coach Tariq Lutfi, winning the opener will be crucial in giving his players the confidence to progress.

“This match is important because a win will boost our players’ confidence,” Lutfi told The Express Tribune.

“Sri Lanka are definitely not the strongest team in the championship, but they are very competitive. Given that our women’s football team is still maturing, we have to put up a tough fight.”

Nepal and Bhutan are also place in Pool B along with the two teams, while Bangladesh Maldives, Afghanistan and India make up Pool A.

The coach believes the top contenders in the mega event will most likely be defending champions India and Nepal. However, his players were itching to perform for their country and win the title.

“The girls are restless, they want to show that they can compete and put up a good fight,” said Lutfi. “They have no fear really. It’s going to go live on television, and they are feeling the pressure, but that is the beauty of it all since pressure brings out the best in every player. I’ve told my squad that if they can’t perform well under-pressure, they can’t be footballers in any way.”

The Pakistan Football federation (PFF) named key striker Hajra Khan as team captain and Lutfi said that since the formation of the squad was new, he was expecting more from seasoned players Hajra, Malika Noor, Shahlyla Baloch and keeper Mahpara.

Meanwhile, despite security concerns amongst the international community, Pakistan’s hopes of holding the biggest women’s football event have come true.

And to ease concerns, the PFF has assured fool-proof security for the participating players and officials coming from seven countries.

“We are all set for the championship and the opening ceremony will take place at 9:30 am,” said PFF director competitions Pervez Mir.

He added that the Indian team will arrive today, while Bangladesh came last night. Due to the late arrival of Indian side, the final of the tournament will be played on November 21.




 

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