Former head coach of the Pakistan Football Team, Shahzad Anwar has expressed his thoughts on the booming rise of the sport in the country and has emphasized that grassroots development is key to the success of any footballing nation.
Anwar highlighted the fact that football has surpassed cricket in the last five years and gained immense prominence. The Popo FC Coach, however, cautioned that the impact of politics on the sport could hamper its growth in the country. He termed Pakistan football as a victim of politics and maintained that political influence would not help the sport.
He emphasized the importance of grassroots football and a football league set up which could help in the development of players and could rapidly accelerate the ontogeny of players.
“For the past several years, football in Pakistan has been a victim of politics. If a new set-up comes, it will improve. In other countries, grassroots football is played a lot but there is no system of grassroots football here” he said.
The former Pakistan Coach acknowledged the development of India in football and admitted that Pakistan needs to catch up, as they are way behind in development from the rest of Asia, “There should be a premier football league in Pakistan. Take the example of India, they have done a lot of work. They promoted their football in a great way.”
Shahzad Anwar stressed the improvement of football coaching, grassroots development, and infrastructure in Pakistan, he pointed out that the football ecosystem cannot be developed without addressing these key issues. “There is no shortage of football talent in the country; rather, it requires effective management and coaching to reach its full potential.”
The manager maintained that the country has immense talent and can nurture footballers who can serve the country for the next decade with excellence.
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