Pakistan men’s football head coach, Stephen Constantine, talked to the Jordanian media ahead of the two country’s encounter in the qualification match of 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The Englishman remained critical of the team selection: “Of course, this is not the correct way to build a team, especially a national team, but this is the situation we have at the moment,” as he has been campaigning for the restart of a nation-wide league so that the Pakistan-based players can start playing week in, week out.
The national team takes advantage of diaspora players who are playing league football around Europe. Easah Suliman, Pakistan’s captain, plays in the premier division of Azerbaijan while Rahis Nabi, scorer of the Tajikistan wonder-goal, competes in Cyprus.
“The players have given absolutely everything in the seven months I’ve been with the Pakistan team,” as Constantine praised the national team players although they aren’t provided with the contemporary facilities.
The ex-India coach commended the team: “This is going to be our 6th game, since I arrived, and every game we are a little bit better.”
Pakistan was losing respectably against Saudi Arabia, 2-0, before conceding two late goals, after 90 minutes, to finish the match at 4-0. They lost in a humiliating fashion, 6-1, against Tajikistan as first-choice defenders Easah Suliman, Rao Omar Hayat as well as workhorse, Shayek Dost, were missing either due to injury or suspension.
Constantine is regarded as one of the finest coaches in this region of the world. His incredible CV includes taking India from 176th to 97th on FIFA rankings in his three-year tenure, 2015-18.
