By Sairam Hussain a fan
There is, no doubt ample football talent in Pakistan. Sadly, all their talent and hard work is going into vain. Why? Corruption? Lack of Facilities? Leagues and academies? Let’s see.
All they need is a chance to show their potential. A chance to show what they have got. You would often see on social media, Stallions FC, Hammers FC etc. These all are local teams formed by some young kids themselves as there are very few real clubs which they can join. They created their own clubs, for the sake of passion, for the sake of football, that is what I call determination.
I am writing this article for the young guns of Pakistan and I speak on their behalf! This is my say on what SHOULD be done in Pakistan Football but sadly, it is not being done.
First of all, our League System. The most frustrating part. I could go on and on, on this topic forever, but Alas, have to keep it brief. We don’t have a proper league system, which in my opinion, would be the ultimate key to success. Who wants to see WAPDA vs Sui Gas? Not me. No one cares about departments! That is the sole reason you don’t get spectators on your so called ‘’league’’ matches. I bet people from around the country would come to watch Karachi vs Lahore, Islamabad vs Pindi. For example, how do Faysal Bank T20 matches attract so many spectators every time? They have matches between respective cities not departments! People came from around the country to support their city in those matches, I bet football would get an even better response as it is a shorter game and Pakistanis as we know them are impatient ( But Jazba for sports is unmatched ) Look at India, the ISL attracted fans from all around the world, we could do the same, just some coverage, investment and brains are needed.
Coverage. If fans don’t have a clue about football in their country due to lack of coverage, we should not expect them to support the team! I bet 90% of our football fans won’t know about Pakistan football team’s ranking but would know all about Man United, Real Madrid, Bayern etc. Why? Because these teams’ matches are telecasted all around the world, and our matches aren’t even being shown in our own country! Let alone elsewhere. And a special shout out here to FPDC for being the only source of information about Pakistan football! Without them, not even the 10% would know.
Now, Investment in the beautiful game. The governing body of Football Pakistan is so disappointing; they haven’t completed most GOAL projects yet let alone new grounds and academies! However, the total football ground in the beautiful capital was nicely done, I must say. Credit where due! Getting back to the point, the young kids of today need more resources to grow into better players. There are very very few academies of football in Pakistan. Who knows we have a Leo Messi in the making? Where would he go to develop himself to become a great player? Where would he find the right coaches?
International players and coaches, after all not everything can be found in one country! Another main reason for this is publicity. Kyrygstan is famous in Pakistan because quite a few of our players have played there. If we get a couple of Nigerians, a few Malaysians etc in our leagues, they will watch our league and hence it will become more popular.
Another small problem I have seen is Discrimination. Most coaches believe only kids from the Northern side Pakistan can play football. I have heard some very unfair incidents regarding this. Players who have extraordinary skills but are not chosen because their physique doesn’t match the other kids, I feel sorry for them… height,colour of skin or cast you belong to does not matter in football, love for the game does.
And I say again, open your eyes they’re just earning money for nothing, what will happen to all the passion in the football loving souls if this continues? All this is just sad. Save Pakistan Football. Save this Generation. God help us!
There are several other things like Promotion, Not enough tournaments being held, int. matches, Corruption etc I wanted to discuss but not all can be fitted into one article, and as I said earlier, keeping it brief!
Suggestions and feedback are welcome on my twitter handle, @sairam_hussain