LAHORE,Sept 21 (APP)- Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) short listed 35 players for attending a training camp to prepare National U-23 team to appear in soccer event of Asian Games being held from November 12-27 at Chinese city Guangzhou.The camp is in progress here at Punjab Stadium and MTFA ground under the supervision of experienced experts of the game.In all 13 players were axed from the camp due to lack of performance.
The eight-day conditioning camp had been held at Model Town Football Academy Ground during Ramzan Ul Mubarak and PFF Youth Development Director Muhammad Siddiq Sheikh, coach Akhtar Mohiuddin, Assistant Coaches Hassan Baloch, Asghar Khan Anjum and GK Coach Noman Ibrahim were in attendance. The Camp will be comprised 4 goal keepers, 11 defenders, 12 midfielders and 8 strikers.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Faisal Saleh Hayat had earlier approved 48 probables in the provisional squad submitted for participation in the coming Asian Games 2010 of which Saqib Hanif , Ghazanfar Abbas , Amjad Iqbal , Abdul Jabbar, Bilal Butt, Saad Ullah, Zubair Ahmed, Asif Bakhsh, Steven Collins, Muhammad Essa Khan, Arif Mehmood, Muhammad Qasim, Muhammad Rasool were axed.
The final 20-man squad is to be announced by coach Mohiuddin after the four-week foreign Training Camp, expected to be held at South Korea.
It will be eighth trip to Asian Games for Pakistan who appeared in seven editions out of 15 so far in Manila 1954, Tokyo 1958, Tehran 1974, Seoul 1986, Beijing 1990, Busan 2002, Doha 2006. They missed the soccer event of quadrennial Games eight times at New Delhi 1951,1982 Jakarta 1962, Bangkok 1966,1970, 1978, 1998, Hiroshima 1994.
“ We have picked the best available players for the Asian Games,” said Mohiuddin. Following will attend the camp,
Goal Keepers (4): Amir Gul (NBP), Muzammil Hussain (WAPDA), Jaffar Khan (Army), Jehangir Khan (Afghan FC).
Defenders (11): Haider Ali (WAPDA), Manzoor Ahmed (WAPDA), Umer Farooq (KESC), Samar Ishaq (KRL), Shabir Khan (Worchester City), Atif Bashir (Barry Town), Ahsan Ullah (PEL), Aurangzaib (HBL), Ali Ehsan (PIA), Muhammad Ahmed (WAPDA), Faraz Ahmed (Foreign).
Midfielders (12): Reis Ashraf (Buckingham Town), Jadeed Khan (WAPDA), Mehmood Khan Jr (KRL), Adnan Farooq (Ferencvárosi Torna Club), Muhammad Adil (KRL), Muhammad Tauseef (Islamabad), Abbas Ali (NBP), Faisal Iqbal (NBP), Muhammad Riaz (KESC), Muhammad Rashid (PEL), Yasir Afridi (KRL), Irfan Khan (Bradford).
Strikers (8): Kalim Ullah Khan (KRL), Asif Mehmood (Pak Navy), Rizwan Asif (KRL), Saddam Hussain (PIA), Asim Mansoor (Young Blood), Zain Ullah, (WAPDA), Shah Noor Abbasi (Osset Town), Aneel Azeem (Ash United).