The newly elected President of Sindh FA (SFA), Syed Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari, hailed the football ventures and performances of Karachi Electrical Supply Company (KESC). The SFA supremo praised the fine work done by KESC CEO Tabish Gauhar, Sports Director M. Zabe Khan, and head coach Hassan Akbar Baloch in recent times where they have involved themselves in various youth development initiatives and participated at highest national levels with impressive showings.
KESC recently reached the final of a national competition for the first time when it lost to defending champions KRL 1-0 in closely contested final of 21st NBP National Football Challenge Cup 2011 held at Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad on 27 April 2011. In doing so, KRL equalled the 18 game unbeaten run of previous winners Alled Bank (ABL) in National Challenge Cup history. The KESC side, led by international star Muhammad Essa and featuring a talented line-up of Muhammad Rasool, Muhammad Riaz Ahmed, Mohammed bin Younas, Aurangzeb Shahmir et al., won many fans for giving their all in Faisalabad against heavy favourites KRL.
Special praise was reserved for Zabe Khan’s leadership and dedication towards smoothly running the KESC football team and its ongoing youth projects across Karachi. It was under KESC that the 2010 Geo Super Football League was organised and played at Peoples Football Stadium in Karachi, with KESC-sponsored host team Karachi Energy being crowned champions after edging past Quetta Zorawar 1-0 in final.
After the enormous success of the KESC Lyari U14 Football League held back in January 2011, KESC will also organise an U16 tournament involving a total 10 teams from Karachi’s five zonal regions to facilitate and encourage youth football development across the city. In this regard the SFA promised its full support towards the KESC management in making such an ambitious youth tournament a major success.
The SFA President Khadim Ali Shah, who is also current Vice President of both Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) as well as a former MNA, stated KESC as a role-model for all major departments across Pakistan to emulate for its dedication and committment towards football from grassroots level till national senior levels. He also hailed KESC’s willingness to give good wages to its footballers, and hoped that this incentive would make the players play without any financial pressure and simply enjoy the sport they love on the pitch at their level best.
Khadim Ali Shah also promised to oversee SFA helping any affiliated department or football club that wants to organise and promote football across the region through all available means.
