KARACHI: Pakistan are out of the running for a place in the AFC Challenge Cup next year.
This after the national team fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday for their second successive loss in the qualifiers being held in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek following their loss to Tajikistan in the opener.
The repercussions of that defeat might as well result in Pakistan’s Serbian coach Zavisa Milosavljevic getting the sack.
“In the first real test of the national team, they have failed miserably,” Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Col Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi told Dawn in the aftermath of their latest defeat.
“We’ve put in a lot and gave him all that he [Milosavljevic] wanted but he hasn’t produced the results. We have a few names in our mind and the PFF will be looking at them to replace him.”
The Serbian, who is under contract with the PFF till November this year, had been provided full assistance by the country’s football governing body ahead of the qualifiers.
The PFF had arranged preparatory tours to Nepal and the Maldives as well as tried their best to call up foreign-based players to the squad.
None of that seems to have helped.
“We invested in those tours so that the players got proper exposure ahead of the crucial assignment in Bishkek,” Lodhi said, lamenting the fact that Pakistan lost to a team placed 30 places below them in the FIFA rankings.
“We felt our preparations were top-notch but after the results in Bishkek, I question Milosavljevic’s decision of insisting on foreign-based players. It would’ve been better had we given Pakistan-based players a chance if we had to perform in such a dismal manner.”
Lodhi’s views were echoed by Tariq Lutfi — Milosavljevic’s predecessor and arguably the country’s top football manager.
“Foreign players only serve to create a divide in the team because they are given preferential treatment over local players,” Lutfi told Dawn.
“The good thing that the PFF has done is that it has invested heavily on the team but they should trust local coaches over foreign coaches.”
Pakistan’s performance in the qualifiers has been nothing short of dismal.
Going into the event, the Pakistan were eyeing a place in the Challenge Cup finals by virtue of finishing second in the group — if not first — and qualifying as two best second-placed teams from the five qualifying groups.
Tuesday’s loss meant they missed out on that event.
It also means Pakistan have also fallen behind in the South Asian region with Afghanistan having qualified as Group ‘C’ winners and India and Bangladesh now in pole position to qualify as two best second-placed finishers.
“This performance shows that we are lagging far behind in South Asia,” Lutfi said. “We were once the top sides in the region but we’ve fallen dramatically.”
Pakistan fell behind to a David Tetteh strike in the first minute of the game against Kyrgyzstan and never recovered with the hosts being backed by a vociferous crowd at the Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, according to the AFC website.
Pakistan started with Denmark-based goalkeeper Yousuf Ejaz Butt in place of captain Jaffar Khan and he didn’t have the best of starts, beaten by a shot from the 27-year-old Ghana-born Tetteh, formerly of Russian club Dinamo Moscow, barely sixty seconds in.
Despite playing with three strikers — Mohammad Mujahid, Kaleemullah and Mohammad Ali — Pakistan failed to create clear-cut openings and with the final whistle, their chances of staying in the competition went up in smoke.
Kyrgyzstan are now second in the standings, behind Tajikistan on goal difference. Tajikistan had earlier beaten Macau 3-0 with a second-half brace from Jamshed Ismoilov.
Pakistan will now have only pride to play against Macau in their final match on Thursday when Kyrgyzstan clash with Tajikistan to decide the group winners.
——————————————————————————————————————————–
KARACHI: Pakistan football team’s former captain Muhammad Essa has said that the performance of the national team in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup was pathetic.
“I think it is a hugely disappointing result from the team,” Essa told ‘The News’ in an interview on Wednesday. Pakistan crashed out of the AFC Challenge Cup on Tuesday after they lost to hosts Kyrgyzstan in their second game in Bishkek.
“People used to say the team needed international exposure. But now the management should have no excuse for this disastrous result in the qualifiers because the boys had been given extensive international exposure,” Essa remarked.
He said that the late joining of the foreign-players could be the main reason behind the setback. “How will you be able to produce better results when you are playing with those players who were not part of your training?”
He said that the coach Zavisa Milosalvjevic had no right now to continue as the coach. “We were expecting that Pakistan would proceed to the AFC Challenge Cup main round. And we were thinking if they did, it would bring a revolution in the country’s football but it did not happen and Zavisa has no right now to stay anymore,” said Essa, who had retired during the 2009 SAFF Cup in Dhaka after falling out with the then coach, Austrian George Kottan.
Essa warned that if the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) did not take remedial steps now, the game would suffer further.
He said that Bahraini coach Salman Ahmad Sharida would be a good choice for the country’s top coaching slot.
“I think Sharida’s induction as the coach would be more appropriate as he knows the system in Pakistan and can train the team well,” said Essa.
“Sharida is also not in favour of the foreign players. When he was coach, he had invited a few foreign-based players, but later focused on the local boys because he realised that those based abroad were not as committed,” recalled Essa, the country’s finest playmaker.
He pointed out that there were several areas where the system needed improvement. “Work should be done at the grassroots level. The football associations are not in real sense active bodies. Unless provincial and district associations contribute to the sport’s development, Pakistan cannot progress,” Essa stressed.
The PFF should not only improve its league but also its referees’ standard.
He also offered his services as a coach. “If the PFF needs my services at any stage, I will be available,” said Essa.
“I would have produced much better result had I been given the team for two years with so much international exposure,” Essa said.
He said unless media offered its support for football Pakistan would not be able to make any progress.
“Pakistan crashed out of a big event but not a single television channel gave the news, which showed how uninterested our media is in football,” Essa lamented.
We need
We need not one or two but actually we need many Foreign Coaches. Zavisa agreed to live in Pakistan when no Other coach was willing to come here and the people like him must be retained. Zavisa must not be thrown out of our country rather if someone thinks that he is not fit for the job of Pakistani football team then make him a coach of some Regional Football center in Lahore , Peshawar, Sialkot,Faisalabad or Karachi as Our Regional Football is in Doldrums and foreign coaches can bring a new ray of hope in our domestic football.
Zavisa has still a contract of more than 6 months and if someone dont like his services then many Clubs in Lahore are eager to have a foreign coach and just lend services of Zavisa to some private club in Lahore for the next six months..
what a load of crap from these guys. Of course you need foreign players. Of course you need international exposure. You cant just sit in Pak without playing friendlies and expect results. These guys comments are soo lame
Spot on mate. If it works for other countries in Asia and Europe, there is no reason it cannot work for us.
Respected Lutfi sb , you should be concentrating more on the upcoming President’s cup rather than keep on commenting on Zavisa and team Pakistan and Mr. Essa you should be playing for Pakistan and do your best on the field for the country rather than just blaming the foreign coach and foreign players.
Totally agreed with you why Lutfi and Essa need to create such a fuss.
I think that Pakistan had reasonable good results. they lost marginally to Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan both are basically at par with European standard team and earlier they were part of Europe when associated with USSR Just do not count the FIFA ranking. The above teams are superior to all South Asian Teams both in physically and technically. It was so pertinent that how many goals Pakistan could concede. I personally feel that Pakistan has improved substantially and given good fight. So, there is no need to change the Coach and foreign players. The paramount aim of PFF should be to creat more passion for football. Atleast 5-6 crore people must follow football. when you have such huge fan following, you can have good footballers too
James you have given interesting and solid analysis. It was interesting to read. Endorse your point that there is no need to change coach now. Pakistan did gave a tough fight but only lacked ability to score goals. Had Essa been playing our goal scoring problem could have been solved but he continues to blame and blabber rather than showing results on field. You right PFF must really take some step to generated more talent. PFF needs to focus on international exposure and improve domestic structure.
Great comment pal. Unfortunately, the following you speak of will only occur when Pakistan actually starts winning football tournaments, and that seems to be yet a while away. Hence why most people can probably recite the Man Utd or Barcelona line up from memory but would not know Samar Ishaq or Hassan Bashir.
I believe the best way to progress is to revamp the domestic structure for a start. Departments like KRL, WAPDA, Army etc. should still be included but more as team sponsors, with teams re-branded as actual clubs to attract greater fan following. TV coverage would also be a bonus as it may be able to generate some revenue. PTV Sports may be a channel to follow up with.
Additionally, the PFF should look to find support from nearby federations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore etc. with regards to coaching and developing grass root football in Pakistan. Also, we must look to utilise the FIFA calendar and arrange as many friendlies as possible with the likes of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to improve our standing within the SAFF community at least.
Guys, I welcome your thoughts/comments/suggestions in this regard.
I can’t believe Mr Lutfi is in any position to comment on the performance of any coach given his own spectacularly pathetic record as Pakistan coach (3 wins out of 14 is far from magnificent). As for not including foreign-based players, what, are they both on crazy pills? We need all the help we can get and these players only improve the quality of the team as a whole. If these players aren’t committed, why do they even turn up for international duty? Playing for Pakistan is hardly a free ticket to the World Cup, after all.
I believe the problem itself is the inferiority complex local coaches and players have as soon as they encounter foreigners. For God’s sake, get rid of this chip on your shoulder and work for the betterment of the team.
In first match, We substituted foreign player in last minutes (we were drawing then) we conceded a goal and lost. That is all. Pakuistan is doing well. In AFC quallifiers and friendlies, we have three win, two draws and three losses against competitive opponents. Not bad as compared to Lutfi’s era.
if I start accepting your all the suggestion and comments then ALL PLAYING ELEVEN SHOULD BE CONSIST OF FOREIGNER PLAYERS WITH FOREIGNER COACH BUT ONLY WITH LABEL OF PAKISTAN.
fucking assholes of pakistani footballers they can nothing play nocricket and no football…..just corupt peaple
right
Mussa, Lutfi blaming ______ for KRL’s defeat.
Please fill in the blank