The Pakistan Senior Men’s National Team will be back in action this summer when it gathers for a series of training camps to prepare for September’s SAFF Suzuki Cup 2021.
The first training camp is set to be conducted from May 21 to June 15. The national side will reunite from June 28 to July 20 which will be followed by another training camp from August 1 to 20. The squad will be back together again from August 28 till the end of the SAFF Suzuki Cup 2021, which will be held from September 14-25 in Bangladesh. The venues for the training camps are yet to be decided.
Pakistan will have the opportunity to play International Friendlies during the FIFA Windows which will be open from May 31 to 15 June, August 30 to September 7, October 4 to 12 and November 8-16 this year. Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has approached all Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Member Associations, inviting them to play matches against the Men’s National Team.
PFF had also started the recruiting process for the national side last month and has received around 16 applications before the application deadline. Announcements regarding the appointment of the men’s national team coaching staff, probables for the training camps and the final squad for the SAFF Championship will be made in due course.
PFF will also announce the calendar for the Pakistan Senior Women’s National Team and age-group teams of both men and women in the coming weeks. The domestic tournaments calendar will also be revealed in due course.
PFF Normalisation Committee Chairman Mr. Haroon Malik said: “The men’s national team being called finally back in action is a momentous breakthrough for the Pakistan Football Federation. The camp is being organised immediately after Eid in preparation for international competitions. The Pakistan Men’s National Team will be competing in the SAFF Suzuki Cup this September and the FIFA Windows — for which we’ve approached all AFC Member Associations. PFF is focused on greater impact and investment for the betterment of the game. We all Play for Pakistan!”
PFF National Technical Director Mr. Daniel Limones said: “National teams are our flagship for the rest of Asia and the world. Therefore, we must improve how our teams face possible competitions. We want to get the most out of the players who participate in the SAFF Suzuki Cup. Hence, once we have carefully recruited the coaching staff that will interact with them, we will work with them for as long as is necessary to be able to put up a strong show in the competition.”
Training Camps Schedule
TC1: May 21-June 15
TC2: June 28-July 20
TC3: August 1-20
TC4: August 28-September 25
SAFF Championship: September 14-25