KARACHI: In order to pull off the crowd the football authorities in the country plan to hold the matches against Palestine in the night provided their broadcaster Pakistan Television (PTV) feel it convenient to do so.
“Our plan is to hold both the matches between Pakistan and Palestine in the night but it would be decided after a meeting with the PTV management which is expected to take the responsibility to telecast live the two-match home phase of the four-match bilateral series,” the Director Marketing and Event Management of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Sardar Naveed Haider told ‘The News’ on Wednesday.
“I am going to meet with the PTV management and hopefully everything would be decided within few days,” he said.
Palestine football team is scheduled to arrive in Lahore on February 27 on their week-long tour to Pakistan during which they will face the hosts in their first match on March 1 at the Punjab Stadium in Lahore while the second game will be held here at the Peoples Sports Complex in Karachi on March 4. On March 5, the visitors will depart for their home. As per provisional schedule, in May Pakistan will tour Palestine where they will play their two games on May 24 and 27 in yet to be decide venues.
The PFF marketing wing is busy to seek for sponsors to hold the two-match series against Palestine and home leg of the Olympic Qualifiers against Malaysia on March 9 at Lahore in befitting manner.
“We are in contact with seven to eight sponsors and I am hopeful that two or three would definitely leap into the field,” Naveed Haider said.
Naveed revealed that they had meetings with the Sindh and Punjab government and they have assured of proper renovation of the venues for the coming matches in the respective cities.
“Both the Sindh and Punjab government have assured us of proper renovation of the venues and I hope that both the stadiums would be fully prepared before the games,” the official said.