Pakistan Begin Training Camp Ahead of SAFF Championship

ISLAMABAD: (Staff Reporter) – Pakistan have begun their training camp for the upcoming SAFF Championship, with head coach Nolberto Solano urging the national team to build on its performance at the FIFA ASEAN Cup earlier this month.

Addressing the players ahead of their first training session on Monday, Solano said the team needed to carry its recent progress into the regional championship.

“We did very well at the FIFA ASEAN Cup, and now we need to build on that performance at the SAFF Championship,” the head coach said.

Pakistan showed promise during their campaign in Indonesia, drawing 2-2 with the Philippines and putting up a strong fight against Vietnam before suffering a 4-2 defeat. They had started the tournament with a 4-0 loss to Thailand.

Meanwhile, Pakistan have welcomed Portuguese strength and conditioning coach Eduardo Seixas to the team. Seixas expressed his enthusiasm about working with the players and helping them achieve their targets.

Pakistan will open their SAFF Championship campaign against India on November 5 before facing the Maldives on November 8. The top two teams from the group will qualify for the semi-finals.

The players attending Monday’s training camp are:

Goalkeepers: Hassan Ali, Zulqarnain

Defenders: Mamoon Musa Khan, Haseeb Khan, Mohibullah, Waqar Baloch, Mohammad Adeel, Ali Khan, Haris Zeb, Junaid Shah, Abdul Rehman, Qadeer Khan

Midfielders: Umair Ali, Mohammad Junaid, Alamgir Ghazi, Hayyan Khattak, Zain-ul-Abideen, Tufail Shinwari

Forwards: Ibrahim Siddiqui, Najeebullah, Kaleemullah, Umar Nawaz