Pakistan star winger Otis Khan in limbo for second leg of World Cup qualifier

• Otis Khan is not guaranteed to play in the second leg of the FIFA World Cup qualifier.
• Khan made his debut for Pakistan in a friendly match against Mauritius last June.
• Pakistan and Cambodia drew goalless in the first leg of the qualifier.

The availability of star winger Otis Khan was updated by Pakistan’s coach Stephen Constantine prior to the second leg of their FIFA World Cup qualifier against Cambodia.

According to Constantine, Khan is not guaranteed to play in tomorrow’s match in Islamabad since he has not received approval from FIFA.

“Otis Khan is not yet cleared by FIFA. He will play tomorrow if the decision about his clearance comes before match,” Constantine said on Monday during a press conference.

It should be mentioned that even though Khan had a Pakistani passport, the game’s governing body, FIFA, declared him ineligible and prohibited him from playing in the first match.

In a friendly match last June, Khan made his debut for Pakistan against Mauritius. The basis for his eligibility was his paternal grandpa, Kanwar Jamil Mohammed Khan, who was born in Delhi and moved to Pakistan in 1947 after the partition and settled in Manchester.

“To say I’m gutted is an understatement. With the great support and blessing I’ve received from my club manager, supporters and teammates, I’ve travelled thousands of miles around the world to get here and to find out 2 hours before kick off I’m ineligible to play in a historic game is heartbreaking! How could this happen!? Angry, disappointed, let down, gutted. I don’t know what to say!” Khan said on his official social media accounts.

“I am so proud to represent this country and like any young player simply had a dream to play for the National team. Someone needs to answer for this as you’re stopping a simple dream from becoming possible! FIFA please deal with this urgently as I’m sat in hotel waiting for you to do your admin!” he added.

It should be mentioned that Pakistan and Cambodia drew goalless in their opening leg of the match. Pakistan’s 12-match losing streak ended with this. On October 17, they will play their first match in Pakistan since 2011. It will be the second leg in Islamabad.

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