Daily Times

KARACHI: World Group, the company managing the Leisure Leagues, Chief Operating Officer Ishaq Shah said on Monday that winners of the tournament will get a chance to play alongside eight football legends who agreed to visit Pakistan last month.

The league will officially commence on Saturday, July 8 and conclude the next day on Sunday, July 9. The winners of each matchup in the tournament will be decided via computer simulation, said the COO.

Earlier in June, eight retired legends of the football world agreed to visit Pakistan which includes Ronaldinho, Ryan Giggs, Robert Pires, Roberto Carlos, Nicolas Anelka, David James, Luis Boa Morte and George Boateng.

“The national champions of the Leisure Leagues will get the unique chance of playing alongside these players,” said Ishaq. He further added that each team will consist of 10 players with seven starters and three substitutes.

Talking about the history of the Leisure Leagues, Ishaq said that the tournament is conducted under the banner of World Group, with the league already present in three countries which includes United Kingdom (UK), the United States (US) and the Republic of Ireland. Pakistan is the fourth nation to inaugurate the leagues.

World Group president Shahzeb Trunkwala emphasized that the youth of the country has shown great interest in the tournament but for now the management is not willing to compromise on the expensive registration procedures as he sees it as a business venture. “We have brought something truly unique to the football-loving youth of Pakistan and it’s great to see them respond in such enthusiastic fashion, but if you do something as non-profit or start depending on donations, then you can soon lose interest in it. We want to make sure football fans benefit from this project in the long run”

When asked about the future of the project, Trunkwala said that the company is already in talks with some of football’s best players for next year’s league, as he considers it a long running project.

Trunkwala also emphasized on developing youth of Pakistan, as he and his team is already in talks with the provincial governments to provide land in order to establish football grounds and academies, as the country lacks basic football infrastructure.

Talking about the security situation in Pakistan, COO Ishaq said that the team has faced problems in trying to convince the footballers to visit the country given the chaotic situation last month, but it all went in favour of the organization.

Leisure Leagues is a great step en route to developing football in Pakistan. The two day event promises to bring the best football action the country has ever seen.