KARACHI: In a surprising move, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) is planning to send a football team to Russia for a friendly match this month, after talks between the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the Russian Football Union for an official friendly match failed to materialise.
What makes this situation more intriguing is that the players are not being selected by the PFF — the official governing body of football in Pakistan. Instead, the PSB is assembling the team from what it refers to as "available resources".
A senior PSB official confirmed to this correspondent that Pakistan will honour an invitation from the Russian government for a football match scheduled for October 11, 2024.
"The invitation, issued by Russia's Minister of Sport, was sent through diplomatic channels, formally requesting Pakistan's participation in the friendly match to strengthen bilateral relations between the two nations," the official said.
The PFF's Normalisation Committee had earlier expressed its inability to field a team for the match on October 11 due to the limited time available for preparation.
"We had communicated our position to the Russian Football Union, and discussions were paused from that point," a PFF source told Geo News.
The source confirmed that Sheikh Rehan, the newly-elected president of the Islamabad Football Association (IFA), had sent an email to the PFF, informing them of the PSB's approach for the match and seeking the PFF’s consent for participation.
The source further clarified that the IFA and its affiliated clubs are registered with the PFF and are required to inform and seek approval from the PFF for such matches.
While no decision has been made yet regarding the IFA's request, the source added that any team travelling to Russia cannot be considered Pakistan’s official national football team.
It remains unclear whether the team sent by the PSB will face Russia’s national football team or another squad. This unusual situation has left the football community confused about the status of this match.
