Daily Times

LAHORE: The royalty of English football Michael Owen has signed a three-year deal to become the official Ambassador of the Pakistan Football League – the PFL, read a press release on Friday. “Owen will take the reins of Pakistan football to help devise a strategic partnership programme by uniting the nation with the might of football in England. Owen will reveal The PFL logo from the home of football in England in October. He is scheduled to visit Pakistan to run a series of football master classes and formally unveil The PFL. The dates for kick off and a full league schedule will be released soon,” added the press release. It was earlier announced that the football league will be played with city-based franchises participating, which included teams from Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Islamabad, Peshawar and Multan. “Owen’s hybrid role includes creating a global professional gateway for a new crop of football players in Pakistan who can adapt to the modern game of football.” Meanwhile, Michael Owen was quoted as saying in the press release: “Pakistan’s football potential is huge and I am excited about identifying untapped talent in a nation of 220 million. I am looking to cross-promote and develop football between UK and Pakistan through the first-ever franchise model league – The PFL.” Zabe Khan, CEO of Global Soccer Ventures said: “I am pleased to see Michael play a pivotal role in creating a new era of football in Pakistan. This is a striking partnership to help Pakistan move the goal posts to international development of football.”