By Alam Zeb Safi
KARACHI: The issue of the return of former Pakistan captain Mohammad Essa into the national football team was mishandled again, ‘The News’ has learnt through well-placed sources.
“While calling the senior players for their passports and other necessary documents in connection with the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, a clerk of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) rang Mohammad Essa the other day, asking for his passport and photographs to be dispatched to which the former captain denied,” a source said.
“With Essa already disgruntled with the attitude of the PFF, it was the responsibility of the top brass of the federation, particularly the head coach, to call him and seek for his return for the most important event. The way he has been approached is surprising,” the source said.
Essa announced retirement from international football during the SAFF Championship in Bangladesh in December 2009 along with goalkeeper Jaffar Khan after his relationship with the then coach George Kottan had soured. But after his retirement Essa was not even contacted by the PFF till one of the top officials of the federation had called him for the Asian Games which the captain had declined at that time.
“Essa, who was in good form during the Premier League while leading KESC, is still interested in representing Pakistan provided he is treated by the PFF in positive manner,” a source said.
When ‘The News’ contacted a top official of the PFF, he said that Essa was contacted but he denied sending his passport to the federation.
“I shall try to contact him when the camp will start for the AFC Challenge Cup,” the official said.
Pakistan are to appear in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers starting from March 20 in a yet to be decided venue. Pakistan have been placed in Group B with archrivals India, Turkmenistan and the winners of the playoff between Laos and Chinese Taipei. North Korea are placed in Group D with Nepal, Sri Lanka and the winners of Bhutan/Afghanistan playoff while Group A contains Bangladesh, Palestine, Myanmar and the winners of playoff between Philippines and Mongolia. Group C carries Tajikistan, Maldives, Kyrgyzstan and the winners of playoff between Cambodia and Macau.
We dont need him. So focus on our young talents.
Essa days are gone, Malik Sahab right. New talent required
Why Siddiq Shiekh is going after useless Jaffar, Essa etc. The national team should be handed to other in pff
Dear Faisl Saleh you are great . Pl. ask your Directors to contentrate on youngers. Essa, Jaffar are no more usefal.
I think we still need Essa to be in the team and as far as Jaffar concern, His days have certainly gone
Essa is finished. He is a fine player, but he is no longer useful for senior team when we have some better players coming!
PFF should not be kissing his backside from now on.
?????????
need young guns..he is gone now….
Concentrate on over-seas players & get atleast 5-6 of them in the playing XI…..
Essa plays on a position which is most mouth watering now a days. He has been a star players and still can be. we should test him again. I just read 3 days back where an Arsenal Star said England failure is due to putting extra burden on young player. so why we are talking too much about youth.??
Wayne Rooney was red carded in 2006 which saw 10 men England losing to Portugal and were knocked out of world cup. His aggression and angry bird like behavior was questioned again in 2010 and you know he returned empty handed again. But what England did with him.?? how they handled the situation.??
zeesh,irfan,yousuf,and a few other european-born pakiz can make a great team wid some local players and can beat asian powerhous like qatar saudi and thialands etc…but pff need to establish a platform for them b4 world cup qualifiers….
Yeah they are great players for us but how many Paki players can match these foreign players to make a balance team. Otherwise team may collapse, is it not.