Pakistan national football team

Pakistan

Nickname(s)	The Greenshirts
Association	Pakistan Football Federation
Confederation	AFC (Asia)
Head coach	Akhtar Mohiuddin
Captain	Muhammad Essa
Top scorer	Muhammad Essa (20)
Home stadium	Punjab Stadium
FIFA code	PAK
First colours Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current	160
Highest	141 (February 1994)
Lowest	192 (May 2004)
First international
Iran 5 - 1 Pakistan (Amjadiah, Iran; January 6, 1950)
Biggest win
Pakistan 7 - 0 Thailand (Kuala Lumpur, Malaya; August 9, 1960) Pakistan 9 - 2 Guam (Taipei, Chinese Taipei; April 6, 2008)
Biggest defeat
Iran 9 - 1 Pakistan (Teheran, Iran; March 12, 1969) Iraq 8 - 0 Pakistan (Irbid, Jordan; May 28, 1993)
South Asian Football Federation Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1993)
Best result	Third - 1997, 2005

Pakistan national football team

Medal record
Men’s Football
South Asian Games
	1987 Calcutta	Team
	1989 Islamabad	Team
	1991 Colombo	Team
	2004 Islamabad	Team
	2006 Colombo	Team

Pakistan national football team is the national team of Pakistan and is controlled by the PFF and is a member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

It has not yet qualified for either the FIFA World Cup or Asian Cup championships. This state of affairs may be attributable in part to the popularity of cricket and other sports, along with the PFF's own lacklustre handling of football in Pakistan over the greater part of the last five decades since its establishment in 1948.

Pakistan were one of the best sides in Asia but by the late 60's the lack of funding and infrastructure meant Pakistan's national side had fallen behind many other teams they used to beat.

However in recent times the Pakistani government and the PFF have invested more into football. The appointment of Bahraini coach Salman Ahmed Sharida in late 2005 with assistance from the Bahrain FA has helped the team achieve some stability and improvement with respect to fitness levels, and team work.

On 7 December, 2005 English Premier League defender Zeshan Rehman who played for Fulham (now with QPR) made his debut for the Pakistani team, becoming the first Pakistani international footballer to play professional football in England. Currently the PFF is targeting usage of more players of Pakistani descent playing football in foreign leagues with the help of third party contacts, to allow them to represent Pakistan internationally and boost profile of football in the country. Players like Adnan Ahmed and Amjad Iqbal have chosen to represent Pakistan at the international level.

The most success for Pakistan football has been in the South Asian Games tournament, which they have won 4 times.

History

1950’s

Pakistan travelled to Iran and played their first international against the Iran national football team on January 6, 1950 in which Pakistan fell to a 5-1 defeat. It was another 2 years before they played another fixture. They went to Ceylon to play in the Colombo Cup and were held to goalless draw in the first match against India. They then beat hosts Ceylon 2-0 to record their first ever victory. A 1-0 win in their final match against Burma led them to become joint champions in the Colombo Cup with India.

Pakistan then hosted Iran in April and this time the Greenshirts showed a remarkable improvement by drawing nil-nil. The following year Pakistan were runners-up in the Colombo Cup, this included a memorable 6-0 win against Ceylon in Rangoon. In 1954, after again becoming runners up in the Colombo Cup, Pakistan defeated Singapore 6-2 in the Asian Games; this followed 2-1 loss to Burma. In the final edition of the Colombo Cup, the Greenshirts ended as bridesmaids for the third year in a row to India. Pakistan failed to progress in the 1958 Asian Games after being defeated by Chinese Taipei 3-1 and a 1-1 draw to South Vietnam.

In 1959, they failed to qualify for the Asian Cup, after a 4-1 loss by Iran, 1-0 defeat to India and 2-0 loss to Israel. However, in the later fixtures Pakistan were able to turn thing around and won their first ever match against India when they defeated them 1-0, and were able to reverse the score in the second match against by Iran with a 4-1 victory and held Israel to a 2-2 draw.

1960’s

Several months later, the Greenshirts travelled to Malay for the Merdeka Cup. They started with thumping Thailand 7-0, which still is a Pakistani record. It was followed by a 1-0 loss to the hosts Malay, then a 3-1 victory over Japan and finally a 4-0 defeat to Indonesia. Pakistan returned to the Merdeka Cup two years later and this time reached the final against Indonesia but succumbed to 2-1 defeat. This marked the beginning of the end of Pakistan being one of the top sides of Asian football.

It was three years before Pakistan played a competitive fixture, when they played in the first RDC Cup and finished third. In 1967, they played a series of friendlies against Saudi Arabia, all ending in draws. Later in the year Pakistan lost their Asian Cup qualifiers against Burma and Khmer and drew their final match against India. They then hosted the second RDC Cup and finished third, which included the 4-7 defeat to Turkey. In 1969, they travelled to Iran to take part in friendly tournament, which apart from the 2-1 win against Iraq was a disaster, as they were completely outplayed in a record 9-1 defeat by Iran.

1970’s

In the early 70’s the national side participation seemed restricted to the RDC Cup and the 1974 Asian Games plus one friendly against South Korea in 1978. In the few games they played, most were heavy defeats. The lack domestic infrastructure, poor management by the PFF and the failure to participate in international tournaments such as the World Cup qualifiers had left the national side in ruin. The most notable result in this period being a 2-2 draw against Turkey.

1980’s

This era saw Pakistan return to the international fold, and saw gradual improvements in the national team. Taking part in the Kings Cup in 1982, they secured a goalless draw against Indonesia. It was the Greenshirts first clean sheet since 1962. After a loss to Thailand, they followed it up with a 3-2 victory versus Malaysia. They lost a close game against the Chinese, however, they were able to win 1-0 in their final game against Singapore.

Pakistan hosted a friendly tournament involving Iran, Bangladesh, Oman and Nepal in 1982. The Greenshirts started off with a 2-1 over Bangladesh. They lost to Iran, but came back and beat Nepal 2-0. The last game against Oman ended nil-nil and ended the tournament as runners-up. However, in 1984, the national team took a step back, losing 4 out of 5 games in the Asian Cup qualifiers, apart from beating North Yemen 4-1.

The Greenshirts hosted another tournament in 1985, this time inviting North Korea, Indonesia, with Bangladesh and Nepal returning. A surprise goalless draw against the North Koreans boosted the side, and they beat Nepal 1-0. However, losses in the final two games against Bangladesh and Indonesia meant they ended as runners up. In the South Asian Games, Pakistan ended forth after losing a penalty shoot out to Nepal.

In the 1986 Asian Games, Pakistan lost all their games. However, a year later national side was more successful at the South Asian Games, winning the bronze medal match against Bangladesh 1-0. In 1988, they lost all their Asian Cup qualifiers. In a first, Pakistan made their first attempt to qualifiers for the World Cup in 1989. However, they were unable to win any of their matches. The Greenshirts bounced back, when several months later they took Gold at the South Asian Games, beating Bangladesh 1-0 in the final.

1990’s

The Greenshirts had another early exit in the Asian Games, losing all three games in 1990. In the 1991 South Asian Games, Pakistan beat the Maldives in the final 2-0 to win their second Gold. By this stage, the team had become one of whipping boys of Asia, with victories only restricted to regional teams. The next year they failed to qualify for another Asian Cup after defeats in both qualifiers, this followed a disastrous World Cup qualifying campaign in 1993 where in one game they lost to Iraq 8-0. Later in the year the first SAFF Cup took place, and the Greenshirts finished forth. Then at the 1993 South Asian Games, they were unable to get past the group stage.

In 1995, Pakistan went out of the SAFF Cup group stage on goal difference. Between 1996 and 1997, the Greenshirts lost all their Asian Cup and World Cup qualifying games. Pakistan came third in the 1997 SAFF Cup, thanks to a 1-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the third place playoff. The 1999 SAFF Cup went poorly, went they came bottom of their group, and things didn’t get better as the Greenshirts also failed to get out of the group stage of the final South Asian Games to hold full internationals.

2000’s

The start of the century continued where the last left off for the national side with Pakistan unable to win any of their Asian Cup qualifiers. The following year, in 2001, Pakistan achieved their first point in World Cup qualification, thanks to a hat-trick by Gohar Zaman against Sri Lanka in the 3-3 draw, however all other matches ended in defeat.

In 2002, Pakistan played in an unsuccessful 4 match series against Sri Lanka. At the 2003 SAFF Cup, a Sarfraz Rasool inspired Pakistan finish fourth, losing 2-1 in extra time to India in the third place playoff. Later in the year, Pakistan won their first Asian Cup qualifier with a 3-0 over Macao, but still were unable to qualify. They round off the year with defeats to Kyrgyzstan in the World Cup qualifiers.

2004 saw changes in Pakistan football, with at new administration in place by this time and a new national league up and running. And it didn’t take long for the results to show with a successful three match series victory against India, the final match ending 3-0 to the Greenshirts. They went on the reach the semi-finals of the 2005 SAFF Cup, with English-born Premier League defender Zesh Rehman making waves for Pakistan.

The Pakistan team began showing some fight and although they lost they’re first two Asian Cup qualifiers in 2006, they didn’t go down easily. In between the Asian Cup matches, they took part in the first AFC Challenge Cup 2006. They failed to get past the group stage, but surprised Kyrgyzstan by defeating them 1-0. Back at the Asian Cup qualifiers, they lost their remaining fixtures. However, in the final game Pakistan came close to upsetting UAE in their 3-2 loss and this was considered by many as a turning point.

In the World Cup qualifiers in 2007, they fell to heavy defeat to the current Asian champions Iraq and after the 7-0 loss, little was expected on them in the second leg. However, the Greenshirts held them to a goalless draw. As results improved, expectations increased, and in 2008, Pakistan travelled to Nepal before hand for two friendlies before taking on the AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers. After beating Chinese Taipei 2-1 in the first match, hopes of qualification were dashed when Sri Lanka demolished Pakistan 7-1. In the final match they strolled past minnows Guam in a record 9-2 win.

Another disappointing performance in SAFF Championship 2008 where the Pakistan team failed to go beyond the group stages signalled the end of Akhtar Mohiuddin as coach.

Stadium

Main article: Punjab Stadium

Punjab stadium became the new home of the national team when it was built in 2003. Prior to that, most home matches would be played at other football stadiums around the country. Their former homes are the Railway Stadium and the Peoples Football Stadium. The Punjab Stadium is in Lahore, Pakistan and has a capacity of 9,000. Although the stadium lacks capacity, it is fitted with modern facilities. The Pakistan Football Federation has its headquarters nearby the stadium at FIFA Football house. Games expecting bigger attendances are still played in other stadiums.

World Cup record

• 1930 to 1986 - Did not enter: was part of British Empire until 1947
• 1990 to 2010 - Did not qualify

Asian Cup record

• 1956 - Withdrew
• 1960 - Did not qualify
• 1964 - Did not enter
• 1968 - Did not qualify
• 1972 - Did not enter
• 1976 - Withdrew
• 1980 - Did not enter
• 1984 to 2007 - Did not qualify

South Asian Football Federation Cup record

• 1993 - Fourth Place
• 1995 - Round 1
• 1997 - Third Place
• 1999 - Round 1
• 2003 - Fourth Place
• 2005 - Semi Finals

AFC Challenge Cup record

• 2006 - Round 1
• 2008 - Did not qualify, 2nd in Qualifying Group

Last and next games

• Last Game India 2-1 Pakistan - Malé - June 5, 2008. SAFF Championship 2008
• Next Game Pakistan - Nepal - Malé - June 7, 2008. SAFF Championship 2008

Current squad

The following players were selected for the Nepal friendlies and the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Iltaf Ahmed	2 December, 1979	3	0	Unattached
2	2DF	Mohammad Imran	15 October, 1986			Pakistan Army FC
3	2DF	Samar Ishaq	1 January, 1986			KRL FC
4	2DF	Tanveer Ahmed	15 April, 1976	41	3	WAPDA FC
6	3MF	Farooq Shah	19 October, 1985	20	1	NBP FC
8	3MF	Adnan Ahmed	7 June, 1984	7	2	Tranmere Rovers
9	2DF	Muhammad Shahid	10 October, 1985	8	0	WAPDA FC
10	4FW	Muhammad Essa	20 November, 1983	46	20	KRL FC
11	4FW	Muhammad Rasool	23 May, 1985	5	1	KRL FC
13	3MF	Shahid Ahmed	20 November, 1983			KRL FC
14	3MF	Muhammad Irfan	5 June, 1984	3	0	PIA FC
15	3MF	Zahid Hameed	1 August, 1985	17	1	WAPDA FC
16	4FW	Muhammad Qasim	1 May, 1984	7	4	KRL FC
17	2DF	Muhammad Ahmed	14 February, 1991	1	0	KRL FC
18	1GK	Ghulam Nabi	28 December, 1988	0	0	KRL FC
19	3MF	Michael Masih	7 May, 1985	4	1	Pakistan Army FC
20	3MF	Imran Hashmi	17 February, 1989	2	0	PIA FC
21	2DF	Kamran Khan	23 March, 1985	1	0	KRL FC
22	2DF	Muhammad Haji	16 October, 1989	0	0	PIA FC
23	1GK	Amir Qureshi	17 October, 1974	3	0	KRL FC
24	2DF	Jamshed Anwar	30 November, 1974	1	2	WAPDA FC
26	2DF	Abbas Ali	3 September, 1990	10	0	NBP FC
28	3MF	Atiq Ullah	1 January, 1983	5	0	NBP FC
29	4FW	Abdul Rehman	7 August, 1982	2	1	KPT FC

Recent Call Ups

The following players were selected for the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (First Round, Second Leg Vs Iraq).

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
4	2DF	Naveed Akram	16 May, 1984	15	1	WAPDA FC
5	2DF	Zeshan Rehman	14 October, 1984	6	0	Queens Park Rangers
7	3MF	Amjad Iqbal	23 September, 1979	2	0	Farsley Celtic
12	3MF	Azeem Razwan	28 May, 1986	0	0	IFK Malmö
15	2DF	Adam Docker	17 November, 1985	0	0	Porthmadog

Coaching staff

Head Coach	Akhtar Mohiuddin
Assistant Coach	Gohar Zaman
Goalkeeping Coach	Noman Ibrahim
Team Manager	Irfan Khan Niazi
Team Doctor & Physiotherapist	Dr. Kamran Mehdi

Famous players

• Abdul Wahid Durrani 1950-1955 Caps 13 Goals 15, former captain, Top Goal scorer of his time and was known as “WAHIDO”
• Jaffar Khan 2001-2007 Caps 59 Goals 0, goalkeeper and former captain
• Sarfraz Rasool 1999-2003 Caps 32 Goals 8, former attacking midfielder
• Zeshan Rehman 2005-present Caps 6 Goals 0, defender and first to play top flight football in England
• Muhammad Essa 2000-prsent Caps 46 Goals 20, striker and top goal scorer, current captain
• Haroon Yousaf 1993-2004 Caps 53 Goals 3, ex-defender & captain
• Gohar Zaman 1999-2002 Caps 10 Goals 5, former midfielder, scored Pakistan’s first World Cup hat-trick
• Abdul Ghafoor 50’s and 60’s ex-midfielder & captain, known as the “Black Pele of Pakistan”
• Adnan Ahmed 2007-present Caps 5 Goals 1, midfielder
• Tanveer Ahmed 1999-present Caps 41 Goals 3, defender and former captain

Tournament Record

South Asian Football Federation Cup record

Year	Round
1993	Fourth Place
1995	Group Stage
1997	Third Place
1999	Group Stage
2003	Fourth Place
2005	Semi Finals

RCD Cup/ECO Cup record

Year	Round
1965	Third Place
1967	Third Place
1969	Third Place
1970	Third Place
1974	Third Place
1993	Group Stage

Merdeka Cup record

Year	Round
1960	Fourth Place
1962	Runners-Up

King’s Cup record

Year	Round
1981	Group Stage

Colombo Cup record

Year	Round
1952	(Joint) Champions
1953	Runners-Up
1954	Runners-Up
1955	Runners-Up

Quaid-i-Azam Tournament record

Year	Round
1982	Runner-up
1985	Runner-up

Minor Tournaments record

Year	Round
1967	(Joint) Champions
1969	Fourth Place
2002	Runner-up
2005	Champions

External links

• Football Pakistan (est. 2002/03) for the latest news and forum discussions about the Pakistani team and promotion, awareness, and support of football among Pakistanis world-wide.
• List of internationals played by Pakistan