Pakistan football team coach Tariq Lutfi said on Thursday that Pakistan football players have great potential, but there is a dire need for international exposure, which will be beneficial for them in international arena.
“Pakistani footballers have great potential, which has been proved by our U16 football team, who defeated a strong Indian side in the ongoing SAFF U16 Championship. So, I believe if our footballers get the same level of exposure as compared to India, then certainly in short time we could have a better senior side as well,” Lutfi told PPI.
Pakistan U-16 team defeated India 1-0 and Maldives 6-0 to qualify for the semifinals in Nepal.
Lutfi said that young footballers are capable of beating teams which are more experienced.
“Our U-13 and U-16 teams have shown that they are capable of beating their Asian counterparts. But there comes a gap of international exposure when our junior players come in the senior side and lose to nearly the same side.
“The simple reason is that the other Asian teams frequently play against top international clubs, which make them a better side in the course of time,” Lutfi explained.
Lutfi also said that the Indian senior side will have an edge over Pakistan when the two sides will meet on September 3 in Derby, UK.
He said that the Indians have a better side because they frequently go to international football hubs such as Argentina, Brazil and UK so they are capable of grooming a better side.
“Our footballers have been working hard and we believe that we can beat India. However, we cannot forget that India has better team as they frequently have international tours and they have the experience of playing in foreign countries,” he said.
The coach added that Pakistan will go all-out to win the match as India would be under pressure as they have better international rankings and a reputation to defend.
