Lahore, 27 Jan: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) will launch another football event when KPT-PFF Cup will be played at Karachi’s KPT – Benazir Sports Complex, West Wharf Road, Kharadar from 22 February – 7 March 2010. PFF Operation Cell asked Sports Officers of organizational teams and President of Provincial/Regional Associations of 16 participants to confirm their availability by 5 February and submit Registration form before 10 February.
“Since it is even year, and there is no U16 and U19 National Championship, PFF, on the directives of PFF President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat , decided to give strength to PFF Calendar 2010 with introduction of another event open for all. Another reason for such show was to provide opportunities to provincial/regional teams to show their mettle on top level,” said PFF Secretary General Lt.Col ® Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi
PFF is now comprised of four tournaments open for all ages. Adoption of a two-tier system in domestic soccer is one of the laudable works under Faisal Saleh Hayat who is going all out in quest of glory days for Pakistan soccer. National Football Championship (Tier I) is named as Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) while National Championship (Tier-II) is known as PFF League. These two events are for organizations, services and club teams. The third one – National Football Challenge Cup (NFCC) – is limited to only organizational teams while KPT-PFF Cup will see action of top eight teams of Pakistan Premier League and provincial/regional teams. It may be recalled that National Championship was introduced at YMCA Ground, Karachi in 1948, while Sukkur’s Municipal Stadium was launching venue for NFCC in 1979. KPT – Benazir Sports Complex will get the honor of staging first-ever PFF Cup.
Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), who will represent Pakistan in 6th AFC President’s Cup coming May, Pakistan Army, Pakistan WAPDA, Pakistan Navy, Karachi Port Trust (KPT), Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Lahore’s Pak Elektron Limited, Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) earned passage into the event by finishing among top eight in PPFL 2009. Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, NWFP, Islamabad, FATA, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan will join them. Gilgit-Baltistan is a territory in Northern Pakistan. The territory, which does not constitute a province of Pakistan, was formerly known as the Northern AreasThe stand bye teams will be Habib Bank Limited (HBL), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Pakistan Air Force (PAF) who earned 9th, tenth and eleventh position respectively in PPFL 2009