India will face Bhutan in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) under-19 women’s Championship in Dhaka, a tournament where four SAFF nations including Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Bangladesh will participate. The tournament will be held from February 2 till February 8.
𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐃𝐀𝐘! 🤩
Confident India 🇮🇳 set to kick off its SAFF U-1️⃣9️⃣ Women's Championship 2024 campaign ⚔️ Bhutan 🇧🇹 today 🙌🏻
🕛 2:30 pm IST
🏟️ BSSSMK Stadium, Dhaka
💻 Sportzworkz YouTube channel#U19SAFFWomens 🏆 #ShePower 👧#YoungTigresses 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/4ct4oJ1FUJ— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) February 2, 2024
Pakistan women’s team did not participate in this tournament alongside Sri Lanka and Maldives which are part of the seven South Asian nations.
Due to non-existent funding from FIFA to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and lack of work at the grassroots level on women’s football, the women’s football team in Pakistan could not participate in the tournament.
The pool of players in Pakistan women’s football is low due to lack of investment at the grassroots level and the women’s youth development is not taken seriously.
Only two or three academies in Pakistan are currently working on the development of women’s football but throughout the country, there is a lack of activity and no competitive games for women’s football at any level where they can hone their skills and work on their development.
The last competitive tournament where the women’s football team players got a chance to play was the 34th National Games which was held in May last year before the SAFF Championship.
Army and WAPDA reached the final in that tournament and star national players like Hajra Khan, Mishal Bhatti, Malika Noor, Sara Khan, Aliza Sabir, Nisha Ashraf, and Rameen Fareed all participated for the Army.
Pakistan women’s national team played 13 matches since the ban on the federation was lifted in July 2022 and the national side registered four victories and two draws against quality opposition such as Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.
They participated for the first time in the Paris Olympic Qualifiers and registered their first-ever win against Tajikistan by 1-0 in the group stage.
Currently, the Normalization Committee seems more focused on the PFF elections rather than the development of women’s football at the grassroots level hence neglecting a pivotal part of Pakistan Football.
