KESC reach NFCC 2011 Final, beat PIA on penalties 4-2

Just like the 1st semi-final between KRL and Army, it took another penalty shoot-out to decide winner of the 2nd semi-final of 21st NBP National Football Challenge Cup 2011 between KESC and PIA today (25 April 2011) at Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad.

The occasion was significantly marred by the earlier death of PFF Media Manager Syed Akber Ali Wahidi in the morning of the game. In his memory, there was a special prayer and applause done by both teams, officials, guests, and spectators before kick-off. The match was also attended by chief guest Syed Naveed Asghar, Senior VP of National Bank of Pakistan.

KESC were missing services of star striker Muhammad Rasool, who suffered injury in group stages that ruled him out for rest of tournament as they failed to score. The match was further compounded by a fine save by PIA goalkeeper Bilal Rafique to stop KESC skipper Muhammad Essa from giving his side the lead with a 43rd minute penalty kick before half-time. The match eventually ended 0-0 after 90 minutes as both sides failed to score from the chances they had, leading to extra time.

After a scoreless 1st half of extra time, the match exploded into late frenzy as PIA skipper #10 Nasrullah Khan gave his side a 1-0 lead in 109th minute that looked like it would be enough to see them through to face former coach Tariq Lutfi and his KRL side in final. But KESC veteran striker and vice-captain #10 Aurangzeb Shahmir equalised in 115th minute as extra time eventually finished all-square at the end, leading to the dreaded penalty shoot-out.

Pishin hosts teams from Ziarat and Chaman for Sports Festival

Pishin District of Balochistan province recently concluded a Sports Festival Week at Taj Lala Stadium, inviting various school and college teams from neighbouring Ziarat and Qilla Abdullah (Chaman) districts of Balochistan to take part in Cricket and Football events.

Pishin teams completed clean sweep in all the sports events over their neighbouring districts, including the Pishin Girls College teams facing similar victories in female events.

The concluding ceremonies of the Pishin Sports Festival Week was attended by chief guest Muneer Ahmed Badini, Balochistan Sports Secretary, who praised the arrangement of such events for young students.

He said that young people can only succeed in life when they concentrate fully on their studies and participate in sports to encourage healthy activity and thrill in a safe environment that helps to stay away from the vices of society as well as poor health.

Muneer Badini also said the Balochistan Govt is doing its utmost to encourage and facilitate sports activities and events to create world class sportsmen from all ages to compete at national levels, as well as vowing to improve sports facilities in Pishin District.

The event was also attended by Pishin District's Education Officer Rasheed Tareen, DPO Asad Nasir, Sports Officer Idrees Khan, and Pishin Press Club President Saad Ullah Jan Tareen.

PMC Athletico President Saif Bhatti expresses deep sorrow at Akber Wahidi’ sad demise

The entire Pakistan football fraternity was today shook by the sad, unexpected demise of Akber Wahidi, the pen to Pakistani football. From officials to fans, from journalists to students of NED, his alma-mater, all are grieved at this devastating news.

One person especially aggrieved is PMC Athletico President and NBP Challenge Cup organizer Rai Saif Ur Rehman Bhatti, as Wahidi passed away whilst his guest at the event.'I cannot express my feelings, I feel as I have lost myself somewhere. We have lost a great man. He died in my own arms and as my guest, you can't even imagine the pain.'' Saif Bhatti said when asked about Wahidi' death.

He added, 'I called him on the 19th of April and inquired why he hadn't come to Faisalabad to cover the Challenge Cup. He replied this assignment wasn't given to him. I asked him on personal behalf to come as my special guest to witness and cover the event as only he could. He accepted my invitation and came to Faisalabad on the 21st of April and I provided him the best possible stay available and my best hospitality. He was enjoying it here, and was covering the event, and also appreciated my efforts in organizing this event which are comments I now cherish. This is the least I could do such a humble man, who can be best known as a Malang.

It was alarming when I received a call from (PFF Manager Competitions) Rauf Bari at 9:15 am today telling me that Akber Wahidi is not responding, I reached there as soon as I could to find rescue 1122 declare him dead. What an unrepairable loss indeed.'

When asked if he would ask the PFF management to dedicate the final or an award to Akber Wahidi, Saif Bhatti said he will try his best to make that possible, and that he had ensured the stadium sound system today lay silent for a minute today to honour Wahidi and a Dua was offered for his forgiveness.

'In two or three days with him, I got to know what a dynamic man he was. He was a civil engineer and I was surprised by his humility and his love for football, which was un-paralleled. Football may never recover from this loss.' He concluded.

DFA Nawabshah Chairman praises King Baloch FC

The successful King Baloch Football League Championship in Nawabshah by local side King Baloch FC brought praise and felicitations from Yaqoob Baloch, the Chairman of District FA Nawabshah. He also stated the importance of such events to help promote football across the Nawabshah (Shaheed Benazirabad) District.
The DFA Chairman met club chairman Faiz Muhammad Baloch and congratulated King Baloch FC for organising the event with 6 of its own teams participating in the King Baloch Championship. King Baloch beat King Baloch Green in final on penalties a few weeks ago to win the event, with national football organiser Master Riasat Ali present as chief guest
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NFCC 2011: Day 5 results

Results of 21st NBP National Football Challenge Cup 2011, Day 5 (18 April 2011) in Faisalabad

Match #13: KESC vs Pakistan Railways. KESC win 4-3.
Ground: Agricultural University Ground, Faisalabad
Scorers: (KESC) #9 Muhammad Rasool (10,71,77 min) and #17 M Riaz (55 min). (Railways) #7 Imran (67 min), #4 Waseem Abbas (80 min), and #8 Usman (86 min).
Cautions: (Railway) #1 Aqeel Ahmed, YC 19
Match Commissioner: Mr. M. Iqbal Jr.
Referee Assessor:
Referees: Rana Naseer, Muzammil, Hafiz Irfan, Mian Shahbaz

Match #14: PMC Athletico vs Pakistan Army. Army win 1-0.
Ground: PMC Ground, Faisalabad
Scorers: (Army) #35 Ikram (45 min).
Caution: (PMC) #19 Ejaz Ahmed, YC 41min, (Army) #12 Mickal YC 72min
Match Commissioner: Mr. Naveed Butt
Referee Assessor: Mr. Qazi M. Asif
Referees: Khuram Shahzad, Jehangir Khan, Adnan Anjum, Iftikhar

Match #15: WAPDA vs National Bank. WAPDA win 2-1.
Ground: Bohranwali Ground, Faisalabad
Scorers: (WAPDA) #9 Shahid Baloch (5 min) and #5 Ayaz Baloch (54 min). (NBP) #11 Misbah (90+3 min)
Caution: (NBP) #19 Waseem Qadir YC 56min, Farooq Shah YC 57 min, 25 Amir Siddique YC 38min. (Wapda) #17 Naeemullah YC 66 min+YC 73 min=RC 73 min
Match Commissioner: Mr. Ahmed Ali
Referee Assessor: Mr.
Referees: Shafaat Habib, Irshad ul Haq, Aamir Bhatti, Irfan Aslam

Match #16: Pakistan Navy vs Ashraf Sugar Mills. Navy win 1-0.
Ground: PMC Ground, Faisalabad
Scorers: (Navy) #19 Asif Bakhsh (45+1 min)
Caution: (ASM) #16 Mazhar YC 85 min+ YC 91 min=RC 90+1 min, #17 M. Arif YC 89 min
Match Commissioner: Mr.Naveed Bashir Butt
Referee Assessor: Mr. Qazi M. Asif
Referees: Waheed Murad, Rana Jehanzeb, M. Ayub, Shoaib Baig

 omorrow on 19th April, 2011 matches: match # 17 PAF VS KRL at Bohranwali ground at 14:00 hours, match # 18. ZTBL vs HBL at PMC Ground at 14:00 hours. Match #. 19 KPT vs PIA at Bohranwali Ground at 16:00 hours and match # 20. PTV vs POLICE at PMC Ground at 

16:00 hours.

FIFA World Cup Pre-Qualifing Round 2014

Palestine returns friendly series with Palestine National team to be played at Ramallah and Hebron 
– Palestine from 24 to 30th May 2011. 

First match on May 24th on Faisal Al-Hussain International Stadium. (Ramallah) 

Second Match on May 26th Al-Hussein Stadium, Hebron 

For Training Camp National Coach Mr. Tariq Lutfi has Selected 42 players for Palestine tour and 
World Cup pre-Qualifying round against Bangladesh on 29th June at Dhaka Bangladesh and on 
3rd July, 2011 at Lahore Pakistan . Training camp will be starting from 6th May 2011 at Lahore. 

PAF Dominate First Session : Thrash HBL 3-0

Lahore, 14 April: PAF opened their onslaught with 3-0 win over HBL in the Opener of 21st National Bank Football Cup will commence on Thursday, 14 April at Bohranwali Ground, situated on Club Road, near Bagh-i-Jinnah Thursday. It was the clash between two former National Champions of 80s, Pakistan Air Force and Habib Bank Limited that yielded all theee goals in the first session. HBL failed to create any impression. It was Group B clash where other two teams are holders Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) and first timer Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) 

PAF completely dominated the first session and their repeated attacks allowed them the opener in the 24th minute when midfielder Muhammad Arif Nawaz steered the ball inti net from close range. Nawaz is the player from Toba Tek Singh while Kohat-born Amir Khan gave tense moments to bankers with the second in the 30th minute. It was all over when Shahkot-born Irfan Ali hit the back of the net in the 36th minute. 

Earlier the event was inaugurated by Khawaja Shahid Razzak Sikha, President, Anjuman Tajiran, Faisalabad. 

Friday (15 April) Fixture: PIA v Pakistan Television (Bohranwali Ground 2 PM), ZTBL v KRL (PMC Ground 2 PM), KPT v Police (PMC Ground 4 PM

King Baloch win Nawabshah Championship

The King Baloch Nawabshah Football League Championship final was won by host side King Baloch FC when they beat King Baloch Green on penalties after 2-2 score at end of regulation time at King Baloch Football Ground at Sangarh Road, Nawabshah in front of a large crowd.

The event was organised by King Baloch FC (Marium Road, Old Nawabshah) President Faiz Muhammad Baloch, who created 6 teams from his side in King Baloch, King Baloch Greedm, White, Red, Yellow, and Blue to take part in this tournament on single-league format. The final was played between King Baloch and King Baloch Green. Referee was Abdul Latif Baloch with assistants Yaqoob Brohi and Rohiat Sheikh.

Ahmed Brohi gave King Baloch a 2nd minute lead but Nauman equalised for KB Green in 40th minute. In 2nd half, Nauman gave KB Green a 2-1 lead but a minute before the Shehryar equalised for King Baloch to tie the game, forcing a penalty shootout. King Baloch won the shootout 5-4 to be awarded the winners' trophy. Amjad, Ejaz, Farhan, Faiz, and Akbar coverted their tries for winners, but only Shehryar, Nauman, Rehan, and Shoaib managed to convert for KB Green while Arbaz missed his attempt.

The final was attended by many football personalities of the area. Master Riasat Ali was chief guest alongside Faiz Muhammad Baloch, Abdul Sattar Baloch, Murad Baloch, Ustad Mehmood Ali Brohi, Zahid Afridi, etc. Master Riasat Ali spoke on the occasion, praising the organisation of such a tournament to help boost football's profile in Nawabshah.

Karachi Zone West suspends 3 players for bad conduct

Karachi Zone West FA general secretary Rahim Bakhsh ordered strict suspensions on 3 players affiliated with Zone West for consistently showing bad conduct, rough play, and poor discipline in many tournaments played across Karachi in recent times.
Young Ansari FC's star striker Abdul Hameed Afridi was given a 6 month ban scheduled to run from 10 April to 10 October 2011. Malik Star FC's Shabir and Shabaz Green's Rahim Gul were both given 3 month bans each from 10 April to 10 July 2011.

Hameed Afridi's red card suspensions during the 8th Karachi Football League 2010-11 badly affected Young Ansari's chances of making the final. Hameed was top scorer of the tournament but his team failed to make the final in the end. His red card offences in other tournaments also forced Zone West to take drastic action.

All three players have been ordered to stay away from football activties for their ban periods as punishment. The clubs and players have been directed to strictly follow the decision of Zone West FA otherwise the penalties will be increased.

Lahore participants most in PFF Women Referee Courses

Lahore, 11 April: Lahore get lion's share of attention as seven of the Pakistan’s second biggest city girls viz Laila Zafar, Saiqah Waris, Fehmida Ayub, Shazia Ramzan, Sabiha Khalil, Saima Majeed and Bushra Khanam are among the 14 participants of PFF Women Referee Consolidating Course. The six-day Course commenced at FIFA House, Ferozpur Road, Lahore today and will conclude on 15 April 2011.

According to PFF Women Administrator and Course Coordinator Neha Zia, participants from Lahore, Vehari, Rawalpindi, Khybar Pakhtunkhawa and Bahawlpur will learn under Referees Manager Qazi Mohammad Asif and Instructors Salah Uddin Awan and Arif Siddqui. The Course have been designed under directives of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s President Makhdoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat to reinforce contacts between Pakistan football’s governing body and women referees at a time when women’s football is developing at a rapid pace.

“In organising this course, PFF is offering women referees the opportunity for expert instruction in the laws of the game and physical preparation, which should enable them to further improve their performance.”

“Women’s football is arguably the fastest growing sport in Asia and it is high time women practitioners of the game received separate and suitable recognition - on par with the men. Gone are the days when the women’s version was considered a pale and inferior shadow of the men’s game in our continent. A time is not far way when a female referee will not only supervise the National event final but Pakistan will also provide a FIFA Female Referee, and ongoing Course will help PFF a lot in this scheme,” added PFF Women Committee Chairperson Robina Irfan. She occupied the new role during 28th December 2010 PFF Congress after being successful Chairperson of PFF Women Wing from 17 December 2005 to 7 August 2010.

The current PFF set-up met another milestone when FIFA gave inclusion to Pakistan Women football team in the FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking.”Under dynamic leadership of PFF Chief, we have worked hard for seven years to build up women’s football and the appreciation from FIFA means very much to us and will inspire us to do even better,” said Robina who added that Pakistan Women is in 121st spot, above 51 nations, in World Ranking.

“The standard of women’s football is progressing extremely rapidly in PFF,” Neha added, “and referees must be ready to face the challenge presented by a game which is more technical, quicker and more hard-fought on the field.The 14 participants will undergo a fitness test and take part in a training programme at Punjab Stadium, and discuss a series of important topics relating to the laws of the game.”

“Criteria will be issued to help the referees take decisions in certain key situations, such as for tackles and their consequences, and when a goal-scoring opportunity is denied. Discussions will also centre on how referees should act in the case of players who are in an offside position, but who are involved in active play.” concluded Neha.

14 Participants of Women Referee Consolidating Course

Lahore: Laila Zafar, Saiqah Waris, Fehmida Ayub, Shazia Ramzan, Sabiha Khalil, Saima Majeed, Bushra Khanam

Vehari: Huma Shehzadi

Rawalpindi: Sehrish Tariq, Rabia Hameed

Khyber Pakhtunkhawa: Salma Faiz, Shaista Kanwal

Bahawalpur: Shaista Jabeen, Huma Bilal