Pakistan Football team is landing in India late on Tuesday on one of the rare tours across the border, and the mission for them is to “spread love and peace and want to build bridges.” Pakistan football team captain Yousaf Butt believes his team can win hearts and use sport as a tool to create peace and harmony.
“We are in India with boundless love, peace, and harmony in our hearts. As devoted sportsmen, we understand the power of sports in transcending political boundaries and fostering strong relationships between nations.”
Pakistan will feature in the eight-nation SAFF Cup starting in Bangalore from Wednesday and will end on July 4. The event starts with a ban in Bengaluru as Pakistan plays India. The match has sparked huge interest across the border. Pakistan are in Group A, with Kuwait and Nepal being the other teams. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, and Lebanon are in Group B.
Pakistan Football Federation and their counterparts in India did their best to make the tour possible. PFF first got clearance from the interior ministry and, despite some hassles, got visas for India from the Mauritius embassy. So, three cheers for both PFF and AIFF. The message both federations conveyed was praiseworthy. It is a good breakthrough in the wake of political tension and mistrust.
Sporting ties between Pakistan and India are rare and intermittent as they have fallen prey to political tension. New Delhi doesn’t allow bilateral ties with Pakistan following the Mumbai attacks, which were blamed on militants based in Pakistan.
Unfortunately, cricket is seen as the worst affected by this political tension. Billions want to watch Pakistan play India but the highly charged contests are just confined to multi-national events. India have not toured Pakistan since the Asia Cup in 2008 while Pakistan played two T20Is and three ODIs in India in 2012 but that could not revive the bilateral ties.
Pakistan has always blamed India for mixing politics in sports, and a recent example was India’s refusal to send their cricket team to Pakistan for Asia Cup. India tried vehemently to shift the whole Asia Cup out of Pakistan. Ultimately the Asian Cricket Council allowed Pakistan to host four first-round matches and the rest of the tournament in Sri Lanka.
Yousaf believes his team can trigger a change.
“We firmly believe that by keeping politics aside and focusing on promoting sports, we can strengthen ties not only between Pakistan and India but also among our neighboring countries. We aim to use sports as a powerful tool to build bridges and celebrate the shared passion that connects us all. By emphasizing fair play, we can transcend differences and unite as athletes and ambassadors of goodwill.”
It was long ago that the Pakistan Football team toured across the border. Some nine years ago, Pakistan played a two-match friendly series in India. The matches attracted good crowds in Bengaluru with the hosts taking the first game 1-0 while Pakistan hit back by winning the second 2-0.
There is a huge gap between the rankings. While India are 101, Pakistan lags at 195. The event is also dominated by India, having won the SAFF Cup eight times out of 13 editions while Pakistan’s best finish was third in 1997.
Yousaf realizes the enormity of the task. “India has an amazing team with top players. But when it’s Pakistan vs India, everything can happen. We will be playing like there is no tomorrow inshallah,” he vowed.
Ahead of the SAFF Cup, Pakistan team also lost all three matches in the four-nation Cup in Mauritius, but Yousuf is undeterred. “Yes, three games with three very different performances. But Rome was not built in three games. And the same with our team,” said the skipper. “We have great potential! But, Inshallah, we are building our side brick by brick to become the side of SAFF! Give us 6 months. (Until World Cup qualifiers) and we will start peaking from there!.”
Pakistan team will reach Bengaluru some ten hours before the match but Yousaf is hopeful of a good show. “Inshallah, we will put in a performance from another world with zero sleep and jet lags. I wish all the teams good luck!”
