Pakistan Football League: PFF, GSV partner to kick off country’s first football league

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has signed a partnership with Global Soccer Ventures (GSV) to kick off the country’s first-ever football league, the Pakistan Football League (PFL), and upgrade the infrastructure for the sport in the country, according to a press release issued on Tuesday.

The statement noted that apart from delivering Pakistan’s first domestic inter-city franchise league, the new venture would also entail the construction of a state-of-the-art “flagship” stadium in Karachi.

Furthermore, the league would collaborate with top European football clubs.

“It has been over 70 years where Pakistan has seen no development in football and this collaboration ensures funds are injected into Pakistan for the right reasons and for Pakistani football players so the nation can get its domestic football in order first.

“PFF has placed players at the heart of everything. PFL will help rebuild football in Pakistan by developing [a] new generation of players. It is designed to create a new football ecosystem to place Pakistan’s players in top priority,” the press release reads.

“It is about time we take control to secure the future of Pakistan’s players,” Ashfaq Shah, president of the PFF, was quoted as saying.

He said he aimed to make football recognised in the country as a professional sport and “give it the professional impetus to cultivate our national talent and help them compete at an international level on our own soil”.

GSV CEO Zabe Khan, meanwhile, claimed that there was “nothing” stopping a local revival of football in Pakistan. His strategy, he said, offered a solution through a combination of “infrastructure, international collaboration and a sensational league”.

GSV Chief Operating Officer Mike Farnan said that Pakistan was a “sleeping giant” with tremendous potential for football.

“At Manchester United International the globalisation strategy was to focus on emerging markets. I have decided to adopt the same approach for Pakistan by creating a new football landscape. It is a big challenge in a big nation and for that I am willing to give Pakistan’s football a legitimate opportunity,” he was quoted as saying in the statement.

It added that a groundbreaking announcement would follow in the coming weeks to reveal the full scope of the plans.