New-look Pakistan are making up for lost time with British-born footballers
Briefly

New-look Pakistan are making up for lost time with British-born footballers
"Due to international bans, political infighting, corruption and plenty more besides, there has been genuine equality in Pakistan for much of the past decade. Neither the male or female national teams have played much. Indeed, from 2014 to 2022 the women had no fixtures at all. However, the female Green Shirts are making up for lost time, helped by a bunch of British-born players."
"An 8-0 defeat would not usually be the start of something special but that is what happened in qualification for the 2026 Asian Cup in June and July. That thrashing came against Chinese Taipei, who are ranked 42 in the world, 119 places above Pakistan. Next up were Indonesia, then ranked 95 and the tournament hosts, and Pakistan won 2-0. Qualifying ended with a 2-1 victory against Kyrgyzstan, then ranked 136 in the word, and a second-place finish."
"The long lack of domestic action robbed Pakistan of a generation of players, hence the need for and importance of British-born players, one of whom is Layla Banaras. I was contacted when I was 13 or 14, but I felt I was too young to play for the national team, said the 19-year-old Birmingham native, who plays for Lewes in England's third tier."
International bans, political infighting and corruption left Pakistan's men's and women's teams largely inactive for much of the past decade. The women played no fixtures from 2014 to 2022. A revived female side used British-born players to rebuild and competed in 2026 Asian Cup qualifying. Pakistan suffered an 8-0 loss to Chinese Taipei (ranked 42) but then beat hosts Indonesia (2-0) and Kyrgyzstan (2-1, ranked 136) to finish second in the group. Only group winners qualified, but the results represented significant progress. Layla Banaras and other British-born players joined after earlier approaches, with Banaras making her first visit to Pakistan at her first camp.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
[
|
]