Pakistan’s national footballer, Armaghan Khan shared his journey of starting football in school and then taking it up as a profession. He also shed light on the issues faced by footballers and his proposed solutions. Here are some of the questions and answers from Armaghan’s exclusive interview with ProPakistani:
How did you start your football career?
I started playing in 2014 when I was about 14 years old. I used to play in the streets with my friends then we shifted to Islamabad and the only game played at the local school was football so I started playing regular football. There used to be an inter-school league and everyone worked hard to be a part of the team because it was a great feeling to represent your school in football. Being in the football team would garner praise and attention from all around, just like when you play for the national team. So, that’s how I started playing football.
What inclined you to start a career in football given the current state of football in Pakistan?
I had never thought of pursuing football as a career but certain events guided me to make this decision. When I got selected for my school team at the age of 15, it was a huge thing. Only A-levels boys used to get selected for the inter-school competition and I was in O-level. I was named in the team of 18, but I was benched when I was young. It used to be a knock-out round competition, losing one match would end your journey and we were the hosts. In the first match, we conceded a goal in the first half. When the teachers talked about letting me in for the second half, a teacher said, ‘It’s beyond Armaghan now’. That motivated me and a few more events to prove myself in this field of football.
Also, there are people who say there is no scope for football in Pakistan, I want to quote my teacher for them. She said that there is never a scope for anything, you make your own scope. I also believe that hard work always pays off, no matter what the conditions are.
Pakistan recently played its first international match after over 3 years. How proud did you feel when Pakistan stepped on the field?
Pakistan played a FIFA friendly match in Nepal after 3 years and it was an extremely proud moment when I saw my team sing the national anthem and then the kick-off. It was a surreal feeling seeing all that happen, finally playing and putting all our energies into the game.
How can Pakistan improve its football structure?
To improve the structure, you will have to invest financially, physically, and emotionally in football or any other game. In the technical aspect, you must work at the grassroots level with finance, time, and passion. It takes financial and emotional investment to produce generational talent. Only then you can make a team of superstars who are capable of winning big on the international stage.
For instance, India reached the 100th rank in FIFA men’s ranking because the government and celebrities helped promote football. They had private sponsors too but the influencers and celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, John Abraham, and Abhishek Bachchan are the team owners. I am not sure about Shah Rukh Khan but yeah, the celebrities have helped create hype around their league which led to international stars playing in India’s league. This helped their players improve as they played with foreign players and then they played very well in international events.
Pakistan should also take some inspiration and form a model of its own because there is immense talent in Pakistan. However, if the talent doesn’t work hard, it will never be enough. Because players like Jack Wilshere, Theo Wolcott who had the world stunned at a young age could not make their mark as they simply did not keep up with the effort and their talent got wasted.
Thus, we should polish our talent with the combined efforts of government, administration, and influencers. In my opinion, we can qualify for the FIFA World Cup in the next 10 or 15 years if we follow the model for 10 years straight.
What part would you like to play in it?
Pakistani and foreign agents do not enjoy good relations. When Pakistani players perform well and international clubs want to hire them, the gap between the foreign agents and Pakistani agents keeps things from working out. Our players are good enough to at least play in Asian clubs but the inability of agents creates barriers. So, I would like to bridge that gap. Even now if players are capable and need help, I try to use my networking to get them signed with the clubs.
What are your future aspirations?
My future aspiration is to play for a first-class club outside Asia, probably Europe because they are best known for their standards. I was going to a club in a neighboring country but the league has been postponed so now I will be playing for my club in Pakistan in Challenge Cup.
Should Pakistan implement a PSL-like franchise football league to improve football or a proper club system would be beneficial?
I had heard the rumors that Pakistan is going to launch its first franchise league but it did not happen. A franchise league is played for at least two months and it requires a lot of investment. I would refer to India because they are our neighboring country and they have established a good system. They started a franchise league but they soon realized that it is not sustainable. However, in Pakistan, I think we should take start from wherever we can. Because there is only one franchise league in America that is running successfully but we should definitely start.
Who is your favorite player?
I am my own favorite player. But I also like Cristiano Ronaldo because of his work ethic and hard work. We learn from all the sportsmen as all of them have their struggles which carry lessons for others.
Armaghan Khan then ended his interview by appreciating ProPakistani for promoting and covering all the sports.