Inaugural edition of Sindh Super League to kick off in Karachi

The first season of the Sindh Super League (SSL) will start on March 20 in Karachi where 10 teams from different divisions of the province will participate.

The league will feature footballers from all around the country. Moreover, the initial plan was to bring international football stars for the tournament but due to the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) by FIFA, the dream could not be materialised.

However, in the long run, the authorities are determined to bring foreign names for the campaign, which can help the local players learn and grow.

Sindh Chief Minister’s Special Adviser Arbab Lutfullah was all praise for the provincial government for introducing this football event for the local players.

“Sindh government has brought great news for the footballers,” Lutfullah said earlier during the launch ceremony of the league while talking to Bol News. “In the league, local players will have the opportunity [in the future] to play with international stars, stay with them and gain experience. “

The first season of the league will take place in the metropolitan city. However, the authorities have plans to take the action-packed tournament to Mirpurkhas and Sukkur in the next season.

Explaining the details, Lutfullah maintained that the SSL was planned two years ago; however, the coronavirus outbreak spoilt the plan. Moreover, the suspension of PFF also hindered the progress.

“We wanted to make international footballers a part of this league but due to the pandemic, the event could not take place,” he revealed. “Later, it was not possible due to the suspension of FIFA as international players refused to participate in the event.”

The management had earmarked a budget of Rs 60 million, keeping in view that they needed money to attract international players. The foreign players are no longer a part of the picture for the first season, but the budget is still the same.

“The inflation has increased in the last few years so we have decided to hold the league in the same budget,” he maintained. “We will ensure that all the money goes to the footballers.”

According to the special adviser, they are starting this event with an aim to improve the Pakistan national team and also put players in the limelight so foreign football leagues sign the local stars.

”The aim of this league is to make the game of young footballers good enough that not only they make Pakistan team strong but also leagues from all over the world want to include Pakistani footballers in their teams,” he added.

Meanwhile, Karachi Football Club President Hamza Farooq said that he had dreamed of the SSL two years ago and now this dream is becoming a reality. “Every child playing in it will have a chance to advance and he can also be selected for the national team,” said Farooq.

He revealed that 23 fixtures of the league will be telecast live on television. “Broadcasting the matches live brings to the fore the potential of each player,” he said. “Football is the richest sport in the world and Pakistan has a lot of talent which needs to be showcased in front of the world.”

Moreover, former national football team captain Kaleemullah Khan said that at the beginning of the league there were eight teams, which have now been increased to 10.

He enlightened that six Pakistani international footballers will play in each team and a total of 60 Pakistani footballers will participate in the league.

Kaleemullah said that he had also talked to international footballers for the league but due to the suspension of PFF, the availability of players was not possible.

“We also don’t want to put any international footballers in trouble so we will bring in international footballers next season,” he said.

The winning team of the league will receive a cash reward of Rs1.5 million while the runner-up and the third-ranked sides will be rewarded with Rs1 million and Rs0.5 million, respectively.