SAFF Championship 2013: Team Profile – Pakistan

Sportskeeda continues the buildup to next month’s SAFF Championship by profiling each of the eight participating nations. Here we have a look at one of India’s Group A opponents and three-time semi-finalists Pakistan.

FIFA Ranking: 167

AFC Ranking: 33

History

Pakistan played their first-ever match way back in 1950 but have never come close to qualifying for the World Cup or Asian Cup. They have also featured only once in the AFC Challenge Cup with the only international success coming at the South Asian Games, where they have won the gold a record four times.

The runners-up finish in the 1962 edition of the prestigious Merdeka Cup is their other notable moment in international football and they have also underachieved at the SAFF Championship as they have never even reached the final.

The reasons for their lack of development in the beautiful game are quite similar to the ones prevalent in other South Asian nations and Pakistan’s strategy of inviting foreign-born and foreign-based players also hasn’t helped the cause.

They were the first team in the sub-continent to have players born around the world but of Pakistani origin representing the senior national team but the whole process hasn’t been yet carried out with proper planning. Hence they haven’t even come close to becoming the best in South Asia also.

The revamped national domestic league has been around since 2004 but still most of the teams are institutional sides and like most domestic leagues in the sub-continent, it hasn’t grown in stature.

However, football remains one of the most watched sport in Pakistan even if it is the action from foreign shores and there is optimism that the national team will soon find the right balance of homegrown and foreign-born talent.

Best SAFF Championship Performance: Semi-finalists (1997, 2003, 2005)

SAFF Championship History

Pakistan have never reached the final

Pakistan are one of four teams to have participated in each of the nine editions of the SAFF Championship but have only reached the semi-finals thrice.

Following narrow defeats in the 1997 and 2003 semi-finals against India and Maldives respectively, Pakistan had a great chance to finally reach the final in 2005, where they were the hosts.

But they were beaten by Bangladesh 1-0 and since then, the ‘Green Shirts’ haven’t even made it to the semi-finals as they have been eliminated from the group stage for the last three editions. Pakistan did reach the semis the last time Nepal were the hosts in 1997 so they will aiming to at least match that feat this time.

Current Team

Earlier this month, one of Pakistan’s most high-profile players, former Fulham defender Zesh Rehman told Sportskeeda how the stability in the coaching department could help his team reach the final this time.

Serbian coach Zavisa Milosavljevic had been in charge of Pakistan since November 2011 and the football federation gave him plenty of support to prepare the team for the SAFF Championship as they played five international friendlies this calendar year.

But the fifth one proved to be Milosavljevic’s last as it ended in a 3-0 defeat to neighbours Afghanistan in Kabul earlier this week. It was Pakistan’s first-ever defeat against Afghanistan and the PFF realised a change was necessary even though it was too close to the SAFF Championship.

Pakistan suffered their first-ever defeat against Bangladesh

Mohammed Shamlan from Bahrain has been appointed as the new head coach but he will only be an advisor to Shahzad Anwar, who will be the head coach for SAFF 2013.

Pakistan haven’t done too badly in 2013 as they earned a draw away at Maldives and defeated Nepal twice in Kathmandu. But the failure to come even second in their AFC Challenge Cup qualifying group in March and the defeat against Afghanistan has halted their progress. Anwar faces a tough challenge but he is a familiar name in Pakistan football and was in charge of one game against Malaysia in 2008.

Pakistan reached Kathmandu on Friday with a 21-member squad which includes the 17-home-based players who were part of the match squad against Afghanistan.

The other four are foreign-based players – Denmark-based striker Hasan Bashir, goalkeeper Yousuf Butt and defender Yaqoob Butt and England-based midfielder Adnan Ahmed. While Zesh, who now plays for Hong Kong’s Kitchee, is expected to join the squad sometime next week.

21-member squad

Goalkeepers: Yousuf Butt, Saqib Hanif, Muzammil HussainDefenders: Samar Ishaq, Yaqoob Butt, Kamran Khan, Ahsanullah, Muhammad Ahmed, Mohammad HameedMidfielders: Adnan Ahmed, Muhammad Adil, Yasir Afridi, Saddam Hussain, Zia Us Salam, Faisal Iqbal, Naveed Ahmed, Mohammad RiazForwards: Hassan Bashir, Kaleemullah, Saeed Ahmed, Muhammad Mujahid*Defender Zesh Rehman is expected to join the team next week in Nepal

Key Players

Zesh Rehman

By far the most famous Pakistan footballer, Zesh, who was the first British Asian to play in the EPL, will be appearing in his second SAFF Championship. There is no doubting the central defender’s quality but according to Shahrukh Sohail of footballpakistan.com, the 29-year-old has plenty to prove for the Pakistan national team.

Adnan Ahmed

The Burnley-born central midfielder is a former Manchester United youth player and is currently plying his trade for Droylsden F.C. in the Northern Premier League in England. A veteran of three SAFF Championships, vice-captain Adnan will be determined to finally take his nation past the group stage.

Hassan Bashir

Born in Denmark, Bashir is currently playing for Fremad Amager in the third tier of Danish football. The 26-year-old striker made his international debut last year against Singapore and has good memories of playing in Nepal already as he netted the winner against them in a friendly earlier this year.

SAFF 2013 Group: India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan

SAFF 2013 FixturesSeptember 1: India; September 3: Nepal; September 5: Bangladesh

SAFF 2013 Expectations

Pakistan are the third-highest ranked team of the group and couldn’t have wished for a tougher start as their first game is against holders and arch-rivals India. But any India-Pakistan duel is a high pressure match and the Green Shirts will relish being the underdogs. If they can get a result in the opener, Pakistan will fancy beating Nepal and Bangladesh and make the semi-finals for the first time since 2005. Recent history and form are against Pakistan but if their foreign-born players step up they could turn out to be the surprise package of the tournament.