KARACHI: Cape Verde, a nation of just over 500,000 people, reached the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup. For Adeel Rizki, Pakistan’s Football Federation’s newly appointed technical director, it was a moment of clarity.
“Success in modern football is no longer determined only by history or population,” he told Dawn in an exclusive interview, days after being appointed in the role. “Nations that build strong football structures, invest in youth development, and create a clear playing identity can compete.”
Adeel is PFF’s first technical director since 2021. His task is monumental: build a football system where none exists and map a pathway to the World Cup.
THE ROADMAP
The AFC has eight direct slots for the 48-team World Cup, plus a playoff spot. Pakistan won a first-round qualifier in 2023 — a rare moment of hope.
“Qualification begins long before the qualifiers themselves,” Adeel said.
His roadmap starts with strengthening player development, improving coaching standards, expanding talent identification and ensuring youth national teams play regularly. At the senior level, he wants stronger domestic competition and better integration of overseas Pakistani players. “Our immediate objective is to compete in the early qualification rounds and improve our FIFA ranking,” he said. “Every cycle should leave Pakistan stronger than the previous one.”
THE LEAGUE GAP
The question that hangs over Pakistan football is the one Adeel cannot fully answer. When will the country have a professional league?
He won’t promise a date. Instead, he talks about the pyramid.
“A healthy football pyramid needs every level connected,” he said. “District competitions create participation. Youth competitions identify talent. The domestic league provides the daily environment where players improve.”
Adeel is careful not to overpromise.
“League implementation involves multiple departments,” he said. “My responsibility is to ensure the technical pathway is ready.
“Every part of the system should feed the next stage.”
THE FOUNDATIONS
For Adeel, “talent exists everywhere” in a country like Pakistan, of which the population has exceeded over 240 million. But creating opportunities for that talent to thrive is what Adeel believes is key under his watch.
“No player should be overlooked simply because of where they were born,” he says, hinting at his ambition to tap diaspora players.
The former Pakistan women’s national team coach wants to set up a nationwide scouting network involving regional scouts, provincial associations, clubs and schools.
Adeel wants standardised databases so talented players are followed consistently rather than discovered by chance.
Coach education is another priority. Adeel calls it “one of the highest-return investments any football federation can make”.
“Pakistan has many dedicated coaches who have worked tirelessly despite limited opportunities,” he said. “We will expand coaching courses across all regions and strengthen continuous professional development.”
He has an honest view about the Pakistan football’s reality in terms of infrastructure required to build solid foundations.
“Infrastructure cannot be built overnight,” he said. “But football development should not stop because facilities are limited. Many successful nations began with modest infrastructure and improved gradually.”
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The women’s national team made history at the FIFA Series earlier this year.
“The FIFA Series was an important milestone, but it should be viewed as the beginning rather than the destination,” Adeel said.
Sustainability, he believes, comes from creating opportunities at every level. More girls playing football, stronger youth competitions, qualified female coaches and clear progression into the national teams.
“Success should not depend on one generation of players,” he said. “It should become a continuous pathway that produces talent year after year.”
Adeel stepped down from the PFF Congress to take the technical director role.
“The Technical Director’s responsibility is to serve football objectively,” he said. “Stepping away ensures there is no conflict between governance and technical decision-making.”
For Adeel, the initial stage of his job will be about “putting strong foundations in place”.
“I want to see competitions operating, national youth competitions becoming regular, expanded coach education, an active scouting network, and better integration between clubs and national teams,” he says.
“If, after 12 months, Pakistan has a more organised football development system than it has today, we will have taken an important step forward.”
Football development is a marathon, not a sprint. Adeel knows this. He is not promising a World Cup tomorrow. He is promising something rarer: a plan, a pathway, and a commitment to building something that lasts.
“Success is no longer determined only by history,” he said. “Nations that build strong football structures can compete.”
The challenge now is to build them.
The detailed version of the story is available on Dawn.com
Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2026