KARACHI: Karachi will host a major chunk of the 9th Pakistan Premier Football League, starting from September 5, as Navy also have chosen the port city as their home.
Navy, who last year had hosted their Premier League matches at the Municipal Stadium in Rawalpindi along with other teams of the twin cities, adopted Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Stadium in Kharadar area of Karachi as their home venue after the Pindi venue was dropped because of its poor and muddy pitch which had created problems for the teams last season.
KPT Stadium has emerged as the first choice for most of the Karachi-based outfits. Besides Navy and hosts KPT, National Bank and KESC will play some of their matches at the venue during the event, which will conclude on December 29 here at Karachi.
The trend of adopting KPT Stadium as home venue has disturbed KPT Sports Manager Shah Naeem Zafar. “How will we be able to conduct so many matches? It will be difficult to maintain the pitch. No department has yet confirmed KPT as their venue in writing,” Shah told ‘The News’ on Monday.
Navy’s manager Lt Commander Mehfooz told this correspondent that he had written to his headquarters and they would communicate their decision to the KPT management.