Street Child Football: Mushtaq, Mehr to try out for Norwegian club [Express Tribune]

Street Child Football: Mushtaq, Mehr to try out for Norwegian club [Express Tribune]

by Natasha Raheel

KARACHI: Pakistan’s Street Child Football team members Raziq Mushtaq and Mehr, who featured in the squad’s bronze-winning performance at the 2014 Street Child World Cup, will attend trials for Norwegian club Strommen, while the team will also be competing at the Norway Cup starting Sunday.

Team manager and Azad Foundation official Itfan Maqbool said Mushtaq and Mehr are in Norway for trials at the moment and the rest of the team will fly for the tournament on July 28.

This is the third time Pakistan is competing at the Norway Cup — in the last edition, they reached the semi-finals and took the bronze medal home from the biggest youth competition in football. This year, the tournament is featuring 220 teams with Pakistan competing in the U16 event.

According to Mushtaq the trials are a big opportunity for him. “The trials really mean everything to me,” Mushtaq told The Express Tribune from Norway. “We are learning new things each day as football in Europe is very technical and it’s mostly about how one understands his importance in the team.”

He added that he also wants to do well with his Pakistan team at the Norway Cup. “I’ll apply the techniques I’m learning here for my team. A player needs to play for the team instead of individual glory.”

Right after their Norway campaign, the Street Child team will also be competing at the Gothia Cup in China, where they will face India as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28th, 2016.