Pakistan Plans Friendly Football Match in Russia Despite PFF's Involvement
KARACHI: In an unexpected development, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is organizing a football team to travel to Russia for a friendly match this month. This follows the failure of discussions between the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the Russian Football Union to set up an official game.
Interestingly, the team will not be selected by the PFF, the official governing body for football in Pakistan. Instead, the PSB is putting together the squad from what it describes as “available resources.”
A senior PSB official confirmed that Pakistan has accepted an invitation from the Russian government for the match, scheduled for October 11, 2024. “The invitation, issued by Russia’s Minister of Sport, was sent through diplomatic channels, formally requesting Pakistan’s participation to strengthen bilateral relations,” the official stated.
Previously, the PFF’s Normalisation Committee indicated it could not field a team for the match due to insufficient preparation time. A source from the PFF noted, “We communicated our position to the Russian Football Union, and discussions were paused from that point.”
Additionally, Sheikh Rehan, the newly-elected president of the Islamabad Football Association (IFA), reached out to the PFF via email, informing them of the PSB’s plans for the match and seeking their approval for participation. The source emphasized that the IFA and its affiliated clubs are registered with the PFF and must obtain approval for such matches.
