If the mental pressure of being the lowest-ranked nation (195) wasn’t enough, Pakistan’s journey to the 2023 SAFF Championships has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride. From almost not being to participate, to obtaining the No Objection Certificate (NOC) and the visa at the very last minute, Shahzad Anwar’s team was engulfed in problems even before the tournament started.
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Rank, fatigue, recent form- a rational approach would reiterate the fact that Pakistan would undergo a whitewash in its opening clash against India. But, football has often shattered rational thinking and paved the way for David to beat Goliath!
Ahead of India’s opening SAFF Championship Group A match against Pakistan, Blue Tigers head coach Igor Stimac said, “Let’s not mislead the public” by creating the narrative that India will enjoy the upper hand against its neighbours because of superior quality of players on paper.
Despite Pakistan’s lacklustre showing in the four-nations tournament, where it lost all its three matches (against Mauritius, Kenya and Djibouti), Stimac stressed the fact that the SAFF Championship was a different ballgame and the fact that Pakistan has never won the tournament will be an added motivation for Shahzad’s team.
The biggest arsenal possessed by Pakistan is not something that is hidden anymore- nine of their players have been developed abroad and ply their trade in European Leagues-albeit in the lower tiers. But according to Stimac, these players could pack a surprise punch and make Pakistan the dark horse of the tournament.
The Pak Shaheen (Pakistani Falcons) has nine foreign-born players that feature in the squad- Easah Suliman, Otis Khan, Rahis Nabi, Abdul Arshad, Harun Hamid, Abdullah Iqbal, Adnan Mohammed, Hasan Bashir, Yousuf Butt. But out of this list, two names stand out.
Easah Suliman
The most significant name that deserves attention first is that of centre-back Easah Suliman, who plays for Portuguese club Vilafranquense on loan from Primeira Liga club Vitoria de Guimaraes.
A product of the Aston Villa academy, Suliman has represented and captained England at the U-16, U-17 and U-20 levels- the first player of Asian heritage to do so. Suliman played every game in the England Under-19s victorious UEFA European Under-20 Championship campaign in July 2017 and even scored the opening goal in England’s 2–1 final victory over Portugal.
Otis Khan
In the middle of the park, Pakistan will have a talented attacking midfielder in Otis Khan, who plays for Grimsby Town in the fourth tier of English football. Khan, who made his Pakistan debut against Mauritius in the four-nations tournament, is a product of the Manchester United youth academy and became a professional player at Sheffield United. Khan has played for clubs like Barnsley, Yeovil Town, Mansfield Town, Newport County, Tranmere Rovers, Walsall, and Leyton Orient. Despite being born in England, Khan got his clearance from FIFA to play for Pakistan in May 2023 as it was the birth place of his grandfather.
Apart from these two, players like Rahis Nabi (midfielder for English club Redditch United), Abdul Arshad(right winger for Danish club HB Kove), Harun Hamid (most recently played for Queens Park Rangers), Abdullah Iqbal (plays for Danish club B.93), Adnan Mohammed (plays for Danish club VB 1968), Hasan Bashir (plays for Danish club Tarnby FF) and Yousuf Butt (plays for Danish club Ishoj IF) can prove to be valuable additions for Pakistan not just against India, but in taking the Shaheens deep into the tournament.
As Igor Stimac said, “They have six or seven players who have developed abroad. There are two players playing in England, one in Denmark in the first tier. So, let’s not speak about rankings. We have very serious competition and tough opponents.”
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