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LAHORE President, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat has said that the launch of Vision Asia was a milestone in the country's football history.
“We have made significant progress in the promotion and development of football in Pakistan and are optimistic about its gaining more popularity in 2010,” he said after presiding over the PFF Congress at the FIFA Football House on Thursday.
Earlier, he chaired the Executive Committee meeting during which minutes of the June 24 Congress meeting were approved. On behalf of the Congress members, he also congratulated Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) for winning both the top PFF domestic events.
“AFC President Mohammed bin Hamman picked Pakistan as the 15th country to join Vision Asia. It was the first big milestone for PFF in 2009, followed by another on May 7, 2009, at Kuala Lumpur, when AFC handed out the Distinguished Services Awards during its 23rd Congress to select individuals who have played major roles in the success of Asian football over the years.
“Former Pakistani FIFA Referee Ahmed Ali and two national skippers Jaffar Khan and Mohammad Essa received the awards from FIFA President Sepp Blatter,” he added.
“The year also saw foreign bodies accepting our efforts for uplifting football and inducted three PFF officials into their bodies,” he said.
Faisal himself became chairman of the AFC's Disciplinary Committee and Secretary PFF Col Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi was made a member of the AFC Vision Asia Bureau.
Later, PFF's Vice President Syed Khadim Ali Shah was also named Senior Vice President of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF).
He said it was a great honour for the country that Wapda cruised into the semi-finals of the fifth AFC President's Cup 2009. This is the first time in the 42-year history of Asian club competitions, under the AFC, that a Pakistani club forced its way into the last four.
“The record transfer of Mohammad Essa from KRL to KESC (Rs50,000 per month) on July 11 was also the talk of the year and it is the first time that a player got such a handsome amount for playing domestic soccer,” he asserted.
Adding that even with an annual budget of Rs40 million Pakistan kept producing sensational results such as overwhelming Kyrgyzstan, Chinese Taipei, Turkmenistan, Singapore, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal while drawing with Iraq, Iran, Oman, China and Bahrain in recent events, he said “We bagged our fourth gold in SAF Games history in 2006.”
Faisal also said that their main target now was to complete a hat-trick in the 11th South Asian Games to be staged in Dhaka early next year.
“We will develop a strong Pakistan U-23 team to give us the third gold on the trot after the 2004 and 2006 triumphs,” he concluded.—APP
