KARACHI: In a surprise move, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) plans to send a football team to Russia for a friendly match this month, following talks between the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the Russian Football Association for an official friendly match failed to materialize.
What makes this situation more interesting is that the players are not selected by PFF — the official governing body of football in Pakistan. Instead, the PSB assembles the team from what it refers to as “available resources”.
A senior PSB official confirmed to this correspondent that Pakistan will honor an invitation from the Russian government for a football match scheduled for October 11, 2024.
“The invitation, issued by the Sports Minister of Russia, was sent through diplomatic channels, formally requesting Pakistan’s participation in the friendly match to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations,” the official said.
The PFF Rules Committee had earlier expressed its inability to field a team for the Oct. 11 game due to the limited preparation time available.
“We had communicated our position to the Russian Football Union and discussions stopped from that point,” a PFF source said. Geo News.
The source confirmed that Sheikh Rehan, the newly-elected president of the Islamabad Football Association (IFA), sent an email to the PFF informing them of PSB’s approach for the match and seeking PFF’s consent to participate.
The source further clarified that the IFA and affiliated clubs are registered with the PFF and are required to inform and seek approval from the PFF for such matches.
While no decision has yet been taken on the IFA’s request, the source added that any team traveling to Russia cannot be considered Pakistan’s official national football team.
It remains unclear whether the team sent by PSB will face the Russian national football team or another team. This unusual situation has caused confusion in the football community about the status of this match.
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