KARACHI: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) on Monday, announced a 20-member squad for the upcoming women's international friendly against Saudi Arabia, scheduled to be played on December 7 in Doha.
The squad features three goalkeepers, seven defenders including skipper Maria Khan, five midfielders and as many forwards.
Meanwhile, the national team is awaiting the final No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) after receiving clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Division.
Once the clearance is obtained, the team is set to depart from Karachi to Doha on December 4.
Notably, both teams were scheduled to host a joint training session for their friendly match but the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) dropped the idea of holding a joint training camp on logistical grounds, last month.
As a result, the Pakistan women's football team is likely to undergo a training camp ahead of its departure to Doha, Qatar on December 4.
Remember, the SAFF had invited the Pakistan's women’s football team for a friendly match during the official FIFA window for women’s international matches.
Saudi Arabia had reached out to the PFF to finalize arrangements and also offered to cover all expenses, including Pakistan’s travel and accommodation costs.
Both teams, ranked 158th and 174th in FIFA’s women’s rankings for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, respectively, are expected to hold a joint training camp in Qatar before the match.
Last year, Pakistan toured Saudi Arabia twice to participate in women’s football tournaments and displayed remarkable skills.
Squad: Goalkeepers: Nisha Ashraf, Arzoo and Jennah Farooki
Defenders: Maria Khan (c), Sara Khan, Mishal Bhatti, Sophiya Qureshi, Mehreen Gul, Fatima Nasir and Nizalia Siddiqi
Midfielders: Suha Hirani, Rameen Fareed, Amina Hanif, Sanah Mehdi and Alia Sadiq
Forwards: Zahmena Malik, Isra Khan, Nadia Khan, Anmol Hira and Eman Mustafa
Faizan Lakhani Faizan Lakhani is Deputy Editor (Sports) at Geo News.
