The All-Pakistan National Bank Peace Football Cup reached its conclusion at the Shaheed Abdur Rehman Baloch Stadium here in Gabol Park, Lyari, Karachi yesterday 16 December 2012.
Karachi’s own DFA East and Pak Public Works Department (PPWD) faced off in the final in front of a capacity crowd. The action-packed game saw both sides miss glorious chances throughout normal time, forcing a penalty shoot-out to decide the winner.
PPWD’s Hameed Afridi, Gul Muhammad, M Ramzan, and Maqbool Ahmed wasted their scoring opportunities, while DFA East’s captain Zahid Khan, Aqeel Khan, Naveed Ullah, and Saqib Ali were also guilty for missing chances.
In the shootout, DFA East goalkeeper Sajid Baloch again proved to be the hero as he saved two crucial PPWD penalties to help his side win the NBP Peace Cup final 3-2 on penalties. Referees were Younas Lal, Fareed Ahmed, Nazar Shabab, Jalal Azam, and match commissioner Yaqoob Baloch.
The final was attended by 1987 Bangalore cricket test match hero and National Bank sports division head Iqbal Qasim, as well as PAC Lyari’s own Sardar Uzair Jan Baloch as chief guests. Speaking at the occasion Iqbal Qasim said that National Bank will now organise All-Pakistan football tournaments in Lyari every year now. He appreciated Lyari peoples love of football and said that NBP takes special pride in promoting football and footballers in Lyari.
Sardar Uzair also thanked NBP for their efforts to promote peace and harmony in Lyari through promotion of sports and healthy competition. Sardar Uzair promised his full support to NBP for future events in Lyari to help give the youth a healthy outlet away from social vices in the area.
DFA East won the winners trophy and Rs25,000 prize money, while PPWD got runners-up trophy and Rs10,000 from Sardar Uzair. NBP Project Director Abdul Aleem Lashari also gave the winners Rs10,000 and the runners-up Rs 5,000 rewards. Both chief guests also presented the two finalist teams with tracksuits.
Other guests present at the NBP Peace Cup final were Ghulam Muhammad Khan, Zafar Baloch, Shahid Rehman, organiser Iqbal Baloch, DFA South president Gulab Baloch, secretary Jan Muhammad, DFA East’s Syed Usman Shah, M Rahim, and Ubaid Ullah, DFA West secretary Rahim Bakhsh, DFA Central vice president M Shamim, tournament media coordinator Riaz Ahmed et al.