Report: Feyzan Lakhani. Due to the lack of long-term planning by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), young Pakistani footballers once again missed out on an important tournament.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has announced the qualifiers for the 2027 Asian Under-20 Cup, but Pakistan will not be participating in the competition.
According to the statement of the spokesperson of the Pakistan Football Federation, it has been decided not to send the U-20 national team due to lack of funds.
However, Pakistan’s non-participation in the event and questions about it came to light only when the AFC announced the fixtures for the event, which did not include Pakistan’s name.
The U-20 Asian Cup qualifiers will be held in August this year and the 2027 AFC U-20 Asian Cup will be played in China next year.
Pakistan have been kicked out of the AFC age group event for the third time in a row, which will deprive the young footballers of showcasing their talent on a major international platform.
Questions are being asked in football circles as to why the federation can’t manage even basic funds for youth teams.
Football in Pakistan has suffered in the past few years due to administrative crisis, uncertainty and poor planning which led to the ban, but after last year’s election there were hopes that things might improve.
