LAHORE: Pakistan will host SAFF Football Championship 2020, an official of the Pakistan Football Federation said on Wednesday. It appears that with the restoration of Pakistan Football Federation’s membership by the FIFA, the doors for international football tournaments in Pakistan have also opened as the South Asian Football Federation has allowed Pakistan to host three regional tournaments between 2019 and 2021.
“The Congress meeting of South Asian Football Federation has approved Pakistan as host of South Asian Football Championship in 2020,” added the PFF official. “Pakistan will also host South Asian Under-15 Boys Championship in 2019 and Under-19 Women’s Championship in 2021,” the official said. PFF’s President Faisal Saleh Hayat has hailed the decision saying that it is a big success of PFF following its restoration by the FIFA. “The struggling period of Pakistan Football is over now,” Hayyat said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Khadim Ali Shah has been elected as vice president of South Asian Football Federation for next four years. SAFF includes seven regional countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Bhotan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Published in Daily Times, April 12th 2018.