KARACHI, Sept 1: While FIFA has been emphasizing promotion of youth and women soccer by enhancing the funds, the officials deputed to select and train Sindh women team are reluctant to use the grant causing problems for the trainees.

Like the three other provincial associations, Sindh Football Association (SFA) has also been provided Rs50,000 by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to prepare and raise their squads for the forthcoming national championship to be organized in Islamabad this month.

Ali Nawaz Baloch, the chairman of the technical committee of Sindh Women’s Wing, said the SFA had been provided Rs50,000 by the PFF for women’s activity in Sindh but he received only Rs30,000 from SFA chairman Abbas Baloch.

However, the trainee girls have neither been provided proper kits nor is there any adequate transport arrangement to bring the probables from far flung areas of the city.

“I asked Abbas to give Rs30,000 to the two directors who are training the women footballers at Aga Khan Gymkhana since Aug 22 three days a week. Now it is the duty of the two directors — Tariq Lutfi and Siddiq Sheikh — to request for more funds if they need. We will get the remaining Rs20,000 from SFA but only if the two directors demand for more funds,” he said at CDGK Stadium on Thursday.

Nawaz admitted that on one hand the money was meagre for the activities, the funds given by PFF should be fully utilised not only after forming the team but before the final selection.

“This amount is for all the needs of the probables during training. It should be spent on kits, refreshments and transportation of the trainees,” he conceded.

Riffat Jahan, one of the camp trainees, said the players who had been training two hours in the morning, had neither been provided playing kits nor any arrangement had been made for transport or travel allowance.

“We have not been provided any kit. We have to travel on our own which sometimes costs too much for coming from our colleges and going back to home. Our coach Tariq Lutfi has told us we will be provided kits after the selection following the Saturday trials,” she said.

Another trainee, Quratul Ain Ashraf had similar story, questioning “why will Sindh girls be provided necessary funds when Punjab is being favoured. We have to arrange our own transport and there is no playing kits,” she complained.

While there was hardly any activity in 2004, PFF or the SFA are yet to kick off women’s activity, although this year FIFA increased the funds for women soccer from last year’s $10,434 to $25,000 decreasing the amount for men from $82,116 in 2004 to $50,000 for 2005 and 2006.