LAHORE, March 29: A 18-member Pakistan under-13 team left for Dhaka, Bangladesh on Tuesday to take part in the AFC Under-13 Football Festival to be held there from April 1 to 7.

Manager of the team, Mujahid Ullah Khan, told Dawn before departure, that the team had talent and hoped it would put up an impressive show.

However, he added it was not possible to predict the outcome.

“We are competing for the first time at the international level in U-13 Age Group and it will only help us to judge the real talent of the boys,” he said.

Pakistan is in Group “C” of the South and Central Asia Zone with Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and two teams of the host, the Bangladesh “A” and “B”.

He said that all players were genuinely U-13 and every possible step was taken not to include overage players.

Waheed Hamid has been appointed captain and Ehsanullah his deputy.

The squad has six players from Balochistan, five from Sindh while three each from Punjab and NWFP and one from Islamabad. Akhtar Mohiuddin is accompanying the team as coach while Shahzad Anwar is assistant coach.

The AFC has divided Asia in four zones including West Asia, Asean, East Asia besides South and Central Asia.

Qatar is hosting the West Asia contest. Uzbekistan are hosts of the South and Central Asia Group D round.

Cambodia is hosting the ASEAN zone Group “E” while Laos of “F”. China is the venue of the Group “G” and “H” round of East Asia.

Team: Goalkeepers: Zaid Arif , Aamir Khan. Defenders: Zeeshan Butt, Muhammad Yousuf, Goram, Ubaid, Ehsanullah).

Midfielders: Bilawal , Waheed Hamid, Saqib Hanif, Guldad , Aamir Saddique.

Strikers: Jamil Ahmed, Muneeb, Bilal Afridi, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Sadiq And Muhammad Imran.