SAFF Championship: Very disappointed with defeat to India, says Pakistan’s England-born midfielder Otis Khan

Amidst the lacklustre performance, Otis Khan was one of the brighter sparks for the Pak Shaheens, down the left channel in their campaign opener against India.

Pakistan midfielder Otis Khan poses for a photograph at the end of their SAFF Championship match against India at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on June 21, 2023. | Photo Credit: Aneesh Dey/Sportstar

It was a forgettable night for the Pakistan football team after a thumping 4-0 loss against India in its opening match of the 2023 SAFF Championship match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.

Amidst the lacklustre performance, Otis Khan was one of the brighter sparks for the Pak Shaheens, down the left channel. Despite not posing any substantial danger to his marker Pritam Kotal and the Indian defence in general, Khan showed promise and with his skill on the ball in phases, proved why he was one of the most-talked-about footballers in the Pakistan campaign ahead of the tournament.

“Very disappointed [with the result]. We had some good training up to this, with the Four-Nations Cup. Obviously, we are a new team, and we need more chemistry together. India is an established team. They have played with each other for a long time, and it showed today on the pitch. We have been playing together for the past couple of months. But we got to be positive and prepare for Saturday’s game [against Kuwait].” Khan said after the match.

A product of the Manchester United youth academy, Khan plays for Grimsby Town in the fourth tier of English football. Despite being born in England, in May 2023, Khan got his clearance from FIFA to play for Pakistan in May 2023 as it was the birthplace of his grandfather.

Pakistan’s battles off the pitch

The conditions were not ideal for Pakistan leading up to its match against India. A few days back, Shahzad Anwar and his team did not even know whether they could participate in the SAFF championship. From not receiving the NOC (No-Objection Certificate) from the Ministry, a pending visa issue, to players missing their flight- it is safe to say it has been a challenging road for Otis and his teammates.

“It’s been crazy. We were supposed to get the visa on Sunday. Then we waited till Monday. Then we found out we are flying on Tuesday. Then, half the team missed their flight from Mumbai and came just today morning. There was a lot of messing about at the airport.”

“I didn’t arrive…half the team didn’t arrive at the hotel till four pm. The biggest game for Pakistan in the last 10 years, and you got just three hours to prepare with no sleep and no food. But we don’t want to make any excuses. The best won on the day today,” Khan said highlighting the challenges faced by the team.

Khan said it was always going to be a massive challenge facing a team like India, that too with such a new team.

“No matter how much you plan and prepare, game plans often go out of the window when the play starts on the pitch. You have to adapt. India was the better team today, and I wish them all the luck moving forward.”

Sloppy errors

Pakistan conceded four against India on the night, but it was the first that had to hurt the most, especially for goalkeeper Saqib Hanif. In the 10th minute, he planted a kick straight at Chhetri, who slotted the ball into an empty net. Pakistan could not recover from that, and everything went downhill from there.

“I think that’s the way it has gone for us, in the Four-Nations Cup in Mauritius as well. It is the little mistakes. In the Djibouti match we scored, and then ten seconds later, we conceded a sloppy goal. These mistakes don’t help us at all. We have to build from a good platform and play put better from the back.”

The Pakistan team had to endure their fair share of booing before and during the match. The scuffle with India head coach Igor Stimac that led to him getting a red card did not help Pakistan’s case.

“It is like entering the lion’s den- Pakistan coming to India. We knew it was going to be a tough game and that we won’t have any fans in the stadium. I have played in front of thirty-thousand people in England, but thirty-thousand in India sounds like sixty-thousand.”

Asked if the wet conditions posed a challenge, Khan said that conditions were the same for India as well – “I don’t want to give the wet conditions as an excuse but being stranded in the airport and preparing for the game without food, and sleep doesn’t help.”