ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has lost an opportunity to host Messi’s Argentine football squad, which would be visiting India and Bangladesh, mainly because of poor law and order situation in the country, it was learnt on Wednesday.
The star-studded Argentine squad would visit Kolkata, India, on Aug 30 to play charity matches besides running a four-day football clinic for children.
The Argentine team would later proceed to Dhaka, Bangladesh, and test their mettle against Nigeria in a friendly encounter on Sept 6.
“The game’s governing body, FIFA, was very much willing to send such teams for the promotion of the sport in this country but the fragile law and order left us guessing,” secretary of the Pakistan Football Federation Ahmed Yar Lodhi told Dawn.
The sport in India and Bangladesh, he said, would definitely get a boost after the successful visit of the Argentine squad.
“We really missed a huge opportunity not because we are not playing competitive game instead it’s due to the prevailing law and order situation,” insisted Lodhi.
The secretary said the federation had been doing a lot for the promotion of football but still huge financial input from the government besides professional marketing individuals were required to promote the sport.
Football is yet to gain popularity among a population of 180 million people who otherwise follow the game of cricket.
“Even FIFA President Sepp Blatter was scheduled to visit Pakistan last year but two days before his visit a bomb blast rocked the city of Lahore, forcing him to cancel his scheduled visit,” he informed.
Asked whether the PFF would approach any player in the near future like Messi requesting them to visit Pakistan which could help the federation improve profile of the game in the country, he remarked: “We need a huge amount for luring a renowned footballer from any part of the globe and this can only be done with the help of multinational companies’ support.”
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