KARACHI: Pakistan football team camp was closed on Friday after Afghanistan showed their inability to come to Lahore for playing on FIFA days next week.
“Dilawar, a staff member of the president of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF), told us today that most of their players are not present in the country and that is why they will not be able to send their team to Pakistan,” Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Col Ahmad Yar Khan Lodhi told ‘The News’ from Lahore.
Twenty-five players were called for the camp which was supervised by the Serbian coach Zavisa Milosavljevic.
All the players will now join their respective teams for the Premier League starting from September 5.
During the short camp, which started on August 26 at the Model Town Football Ground in the Punjab capital, technical and tactical aspects were focused as the coach wanted his players to learn how to play in a proper system and to adapt to the 4-4-2 formation.
During the camp, Pakistan played two practice matches against Lahore’s Wohaib Club and four-time Premier League champions WAPDA.
Lodhi said that efforts would be made to arrange a series with any South Asian team available in future in order to provide exposure to the players. “We will definitely try to arrange a series with any country in near future,” said Lodhi.
The official added that Zavisa would now watch matches of the Premier League in order to pick new talent for the national duty.
He also disclosed that in October the Serbian would be given the responsibility to also impart training to Pakistan Under-16 and Under-19 teams whose camps would be held in Lahore at the same time for two weeks.