By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: Pakistan senior men’s football team head coach and former Newcastle United star and Peru international Nolberto Solano will attend the National Football Challenge Cup in Karachi next week, marking his first opportunity to closely observe domestic talent since taking charge of the national side.
The 13-team tournament will kick off on February 4 at the KMC Stadium and KPT Sports Complex and run until February 15. Solano’s presence is expected to help identify new players ahead of Pakistan’s final Group E match against Myanmar in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers scheduled for March 31.
Solano, a well-known figure in international football, is widely seen as a key appointment for Pakistan, a country striving to rebuild its domestic football structure after nearly a decade of disruption. Prolonged legal disputes and internal wrangling within the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) severely limited competitive opportunities, leaving an entire generation of players without regular domestic action.
Many former national team regulars have since retired or faded due to age while younger prospects remained largely unseen. Officials believe the Challenge Cup could help reverse that trend.
Pakistan is considered rich in raw footballing talent and the current tournament has been designed with youth development in mind. Each participating team has been instructed to field at least six under-20 players, a move aimed at helping selectors form a competitive Pakistan Under-20 squad for the SAFF U-20 Championship in the Maldives from March 23 to April 4.
“Yes, this move will help the coaches to pick a solid side,” a PFF official told thecricketplus.com.
Domestic football suffered further setbacks during the tenure of the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, which failed to prioritise local competitions. Pakistan’s Premier League, once a cornerstone of the football calendar, was held only once in the past decade during 2018 and 2019 and that too under two different federations.
Former Pakistan head coach Stephen Constantine was also forced to rely heavily on foreign-based players during his tenure due to the absence of a functioning domestic league.
Without competitions such as the Premier League and the National Challenge Cup, sustaining football in the country has proven nearly impossible. The current PFF leadership under president Mohsin Gilani has now moved to revive domestic action, despite operating under financial constraints and a restricted funding model.
The Police team, a regular feature of domestic tournaments, has withdrawn from this year’s Challenge Cup after initially confirming participation, an official said.
As many as 13 teams will compete in the tournament, including WAPDA, Army, Navy, Pakistan Air Force, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Railways, Pak Afghan Clearing Agency (PACA), SA Gardens, Hazara Coal Company of Quetta, Quetta-based Nimso, Gwadar Port, Karachi’s International Supply Company and Rawalpindi-based Mamsons.
Teams will be divided into four pools, with the top two from each advancing to the quarter-finals. The managers’ meeting and official draw will be held on Tuesday.
The tournament will also be marked by the absence of former FIFA referee Ahmed Jan, who passed away a few months ago. As an administrator of KMC Stadium, Jan was regarded as a central figure in Karachi football, remembered for his dedication, leadership and ability to keep the game alive during difficult times.
