The Pakistan Football League (PFL) is set to kick off next month in Lahore, with English football legend Michael Owen set to grace the event as the chief guest.
The launch event, to be organised by PFL UK Holdings, a UK-based group committed to spearheading the PFL, will witness the participation of a diverse delegation of over 25 members, including Mike Farnan, CEO of Red Strike, Davide Gomes, and Luis Miguel de Sousa Santos Reis from SL Benfica, along with Sky News football pundit Mike Alison Bender. Michael Owen has been appointed as the ambassador of the PFL.
PFL UK Holdings, helmed by Farhan Ahmed Junejo as chairman and Ahmer Kunwar as president and CEO, alongside other prominent investors from the UK, is fully dedicated to ensuring the success of the PFL, with an anticipated investment totalling tens of millions of dollars.
In a statement, Junejo emphasised that PFL is committed to revolutionising football in Pakistan, leveraging its international relationships to foster development while adhering to global standards.
He highlighted football s unique ability
to inspire confidence, pride, and unity, transcending boundaries from slums to mountaintops and from streets to stadiums. He underscored the initiative s aim to distribute 100,000 footballs nationwide, spreading joy and fostering a positive outlook among children.
The PFL aims to unite Pakistan s diverse football talent, providing a platform for players to showcase their skills, compete at the highest level, and pursue their aspirations. Beyond football, the league endeavours to foster community cohesion, celebrate diversity, and cultivate a culture of positivity through sports.
He outlined the teams mission to elevate Pakistan s football ecosystem, aiming to establish the nation on the global soccer map through league matches, international coaching programs, and partnerships with renowned clubs like Benfica.
He said: “This initiative can unite the whole country by bridging the divide. Our teams are already reaching out from far flung areas of North including Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir to Quetta, Gwadar and Malir & Lyari. Only three days of talent hunting in a poor neighbourhood brought more than 5000 children to show their talent.”
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