Column. The views expressed are the writer’s.
It would be easy to dismiss Pakistan’s FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign. Three matches, one point, ten goals conceded and a fourth-place finish in the group. Thailand beat us 4-0, Vietnam 4-2. In most footballing nations, that would be a bad tournament.
In Pakistan, it was history. The 2-2 draw with the Philippines was our first point and our first goals in a FIFA tournament (Gulf News). Two goals down at half-time against a side ranked 63 places above us, the team came back. That is not luck. That is character.
What we saw
Against Vietnam, in a packed stadium in Jakarta, Mohibullah Afridi gave Pakistan the lead. For half an hour, a team ranked 198th in the world was ahead of one of Southeast Asia’s best. It did not last, but it showed what this squad can do when it gets the chance to play real opponents.
What we keep missing
A league
Every Pakistan coach for a decade has said the same thing: without a regular, professional domestic league, players cannot reach international match fitness. Cricket has the PSL, and the money that comes with it. Football has had stop-start tournaments and court cases.
Matches
National teams improve by playing. Pakistan routinely misses FIFA international windows for lack of opponents or funds. Three competitive games in Indonesia did more for this squad than a year of training camps.
Patience
Overseas-born players have strengthened the team, and that is welcome. But the long-term answer is a pipeline from schools and clubs in Karachi’s Lyari, Quetta, Chitral and Gilgit, where the game is already loved.
The opportunity
Football is the world’s most popular sport, and Pakistan’s young population plays it in streets and fields everywhere. Sponsors who back cricket could find a vast untapped audience. The federation, the government and the private sector need a ten-year plan, not another false start.
One point is small. What it represents is not. Read the full tournament report and more columns.
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