Pakistan football team upbeat ahead of four-nation Cup in Saudi Arabia

The four-nation cup will be played in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, between January 11 and 19

January 06, 2023
Apart from Pakistan, hosts Saudi Arabia, Comoros and Mauritius will be in action in the event  — Twitter/PFF

Pakistan women's football team is upbeat ahead of the upcoming four-nation Cup in Saudi Arabia as the national side have reached the final stage of their preparations.

Apart from Pakistan, hosts Saudi Arabia, Comoros and Mauritius will be in action in the event that begins on January 11.

The national players are continuing their training in two sessions in Lahore. The players are focused on physical training along with various drills of the game.

Meanwhile, defender Mishal Bhatti is excited that the players are getting international exposure after a long break.

"This is the second event after Nepal where I am getting a chance to participate. There was a long break before that. Now we are excited that we are getting international exposure. It is freezing in Lahore. There is also a lot of fog, but the weather did not cause any difficulty for the players," she told Geo News in an exclusive interview on Friday.

It must be noted that the SAFF Women’s Championship in Kathmandu, Nepal, earlier this year in September, was the first time in eight years that the Pakistan women’s team participated in an international match.

Mishal said "the camp for Nepal which was held after a long break had senior players, and we were juniors. But now in the second camp, the senior players are not part of the team, and we are senior players so this experience is very enjoyable."

The team also consists of Maria Khan, who is a Pakistani of American origin and resides in Dubai. Apart from Maria Khan, the team includes many players who have experience of playing abroad.

Maria said: "Pakistan women's football is getting back on track. As much as the national team gets the opportunity to play, it will be beneficial. We are trying to learn from the skills of local players."

In addition veteran player of Pakistan, Malaika-e-Noor hoped that the team will participate in more events in the future.

"We have been training for four weeks. Training has gradually increased, we are mentally and physically ready for the Saudi Arabia event and hope to continue playing in events in the future," she said,

Head coach Adeel Rizki said that the side will get good results because the players have given a good response and beyond expectations.

"Training is being conducted in two sessions. The camp that was organised for Nepal was after a long break, there were injuries, but all the players are fully fit in this camp," he said.

Adeel said that the foreign players' presence gives benefits the local players as they get a chance to learn from their experience.

The four-nation cup will be played in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, between January 11 and 19.

Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.

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