LAHORE The 1997 bronze-winners Pakistan are to take part in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship slated to run between Dec one to 15 in Bangladesh.

The regional championship involving eight nations was originally scheduled to be staged in India but was moved to Bangladesh when both India closed the doors for any sporting relations with Pakistan after the November 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Bangladesh got the backing of other participants during the AFC Congress to host the prized football meet of South Asia with the All India Football Federation (AIFF) failing to break the ice.

The SAFF Championship, dubbed as the 'World Cup of South Asian nations' was jointly hosted by Maldives and Sri Lanka last year. Maldives lifted the trophy beating holders India in the final.

This year's addition features holders Maldives, host Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Afghanistan and subcontinent rivals Pakistan and India who will show their mettle when Dhaka's Bangabandhu National Stadium and Kamlapur's Bir Shresta Mostafa Kamal National Stadium host the 15-match event.

The SAFF Championship is held biannually to promote the development of football in South Asia. — PPI