The 8th edition of the Karachi Football League 2010-11 went off to a roaring start with an opening cermony attended by the Chief Guest followed by the opening game that saw Young Ansari beat 2009 defending champions Chanesar Blue a resounding 6-1 in front of a packed crowd at Baloch Mujahid Stadium in Ibrahim Hyderi, Karachi.
Organised by Karachi United FC, the last 7 years of the Karachi Football League have shown tremendous crowd support and media interest since its inception in 2003. It has gained a name for itself and is regarded as one of the best organised tournaments in all of Pakistan, similar to the nationwide Pakistan Premier Football League headed by PFF. The efforts of last 7 years by KUFC director Taha Alizai and league organiser & veteran football journalist Riaz Ahmed in making the league successful were lauded by the chief guest Syed Usman Shah (Joint Secretary Zone East) as he declared the tournament open after an opening ceremony. Fatah Muhammad (Chairman Malir), Muhammad Rahim (Secretary Zone East), Abdul Karim (Member Central Zone), sports journalist Saleem Arif, Khalid Majeed, Master Ghulam Rasool, Abid Raza, Muhammad Islam etc were also present in the crowd.
The defending champions Chanesar Blue were steam rolled by eventual man of the match Hameed Afridi inspired Young Ansari as they won 6-1 in a thoroughly one-sided game. In 7th minute, referee Babar Khan awarded Young Ansari a penalty after a hand-ball offence in penalty area by Chanesar Blue’s Abdul Sattar. Young Ansari captain Arif Swati duly stepped up and finished past Chanesar goalie Asif to give his side a 1-0 lead. In 33rd minute, striker Hameed Afridi made it 2-0 from a difficult angle after some good wing play by his team mates, while in 42nd minute striker Umar Nawaz made it 3-0 as the first half drew to a close.
In second half, Young Ansari’s relentless attacks yielded 3 more goals as Muhammad Nabi (72nd min), Hameed Afridi (75th) and Rasheed Pira (78th) made it 6-0 for their side. Chanesar finally earned a consolation when Shaukat Ali scored past goalie Shoaib Khan in 87th minute to make it 6-1. At the final whistle, Young Ansari earned a well deserved 3 points in this Group-A encounter.
On Sunday, Salar Welfare Centre Malir face Sindh Balochistan (Gulshan-e-Iqbal) while Mauripur Baloch tackle National Afridi (Baldia Town).