KARACHI: Bradford-born midfielder Amjad Iqbal will not represent Pakistan on its tours of Nepal and Maldives this week, a top official of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said on Thursday.
The player, who was recalled after three years, has intimated the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) about his unavailability. “He has some injury and club problems and, therefore, will not be available for the tours,” the official said.
Amjad, who plays for Bradford Park Avenue FC in England, last represented Pakistan in the 2009 SAFF Cup in Dhaka.
Denmark-born Yousuf Butt, Yaqoob Butt and Mohammad Ali have already arrived in Lahore, while England-born left-back Shabbir Khan and Denmark-born striker Hasan Bashir will join the team by Saturday (tomorrow).
Pakistan will leave for Nepal from Lahore via Dubai on February 5. After playing two matches against the hosts on February 6 and 9, they will proceed to Maldives for a couple of more matches to be held in Male on February 12 and 14. The team will return on February 15.
The tours have been arranged to give exposure to the outfit in connection with the preparation for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup Qualifiers to be held in Kyrgyzstan in the second part of March.
These days the team is undergoing training under the supervision of the country’s Serbian coach Zavisa Milosavljevic. He is being assisted by Shehzad Anwar and goalkeeping coach Aslam Khan