KARACHI, Dec 21: Pak-Afghan Clearing Agency (PACA) celebrated promotion to the Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) by clinching the second-tier Pakistan Football Federation League (PFFL) title on Friday.
The PFFL departmental-leg winners won the final of the league against club-leg winners University FC 3-0 on penalties after the match had ended goalless at the end of extra-time at Sahiwal’s Rai Ali Nawaz Football Stadium.
University FC will also feature in the PPFL next season after they finished top of the club-leg.
The PFFL is played on two fronts, the departmental-leg and the club-leg, with the final only being a formality as the bigger incentive — promotion to the PPFL — having already been decided.
The PPFL champions, though, do get a glittering trophy to add to their cabinet and a winners’ cheque of Rs200,000 and PACA’s victory ended the 39-day second-tier event in which 13 departments and nine clubs took part.
The PFFL starts with a group stage before the winners from each the groups in both divisions enter the ‘Group of Five’ round and the winners of that round from the departmental and club legs clash in the final.
University FC had a solid run throughout the event with their goalkeeper Mohammad Afzal (best goalkeeper of club-leg), striker Rizwan Ali (best scorer of club-leg) and playmaker Abdul Razzaq (best player of club-leg) being awarded for their impressive performances. University FC also received a runners-up prize purse of Rs150, 000.
PACA’s striker Hazrat Moaz was awarded best player of the departmental-leg and his fellow partner in attack Abdul Hadi was awarded the best scorer of the departmental-leg. Both of them, along with Abdul Nasir scored in the penalty shootout on Thursday that gave PACA the PFFL title.
Meanwhile, Irshad-ul-Haq and Adnan Anjum won the best referee and best assistant referee award while departmental-leg runners-up Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and Young Blood FC, who finished behind University FC in the club-leg, were handed Rs50, 000.
Meanwhile, in PPFL action here on Friday, Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) thumped relegation-threatened Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) 4-0 to take their points tally to 48.
After a goalless first-half at the KPT Football Stadium, the floodgates opened in the second half with all three KESC forwards getting on the score-sheet.
Smart interplay by the KESC midfield carved open the ZTBL defence in a minute into the second-half and Abdul Rehman slotted the ball home before Abdul Salam got on the score sheet to double their lead in the 64th.
KESC’s top goal-scorer this season Mohammad Rasool then struck with a trademark left-foot strike in the 73rd before Abdul Salam rounded off the scoring two minutes later.
