Pakistan will take part in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, a spokesman for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) told Daily Times here Sunday. “After a meeting of the South Asian Football Federation in New Delhi, the member nations have agreed to hold the tournament in Male and Colombo from December 10 to 22,” the spokesman added.
He said it was agreed that the opening ceremony would be held in Male while the closing ceremony along with the tournament final in Colombo. “ The group matches involving Maldives will be played at National Stadium Male and the group matches involving Sri Lanka will be played at Sugathadha Stadium Colombo.” It is pertinent to mention that Pakistan won a bronze medal in the 1997 edition of the tournament.
This year’s showpiece event comprises four-times champions India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and underdogs Bhutan and Afghanistan. A total of six tournaments have been played in the past. India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are the only three nations that have won the tournament. The SAFF Championship is held biannually to promote football in South Asian region. It was launched at Lahore’s Railway Stadium in 1993 as the SAARC Gold Cup. Since 1997 onwards it is known as the SAFF Championship.
Source: Daily Times of Pakistan
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