Pakistan ‘planning’ to send men’s football team to Russia

KARACHI: In an unexpected turn of events, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is planning to send a football team to Russia for a friendly match this month. This comes after talks between the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the Russian Football Union for an official match fell through.

What’s unusual is that the PSB, not the PFF, is selecting the players. Instead of choosing the team through the official football body, the PSB is putting together a team from “available resources.”

A senior PSB official confirmed that Pakistan had accepted an invitation from the Russian government for a friendly football match on October 11, 2024.

“The invitation, sent by Russia’s Minister of Sport through diplomatic channels, officially asked Pakistan to participate in the match as a way to strengthen ties between the two countries,” the official explained.

Earlier, the PFF’s Normalisation Committee said they couldn’t send a team for the match due to the short preparation time. “We informed the Russian Football Union, and talks were paused,” a PFF source told Geo News.

Sheikh Rehan, the newly elected president of the Islamabad Football Association (IFA), had informed the PFF via email about the PSB’s plan for the match and asked for their approval. The IFA and its clubs are registered under the PFF, and are required to seek PFF’s permission for such events.

While no decision has been made on the IFA’s request, the PFF source clarified that the team sent by the PSB would not be considered Pakistan’s official national football team.

It’s also unclear whether the PSB’s team will play against Russia’s national team or another squad, leaving many in the football community puzzled over the status of this match