This was just a ploy by our lousy PFF in getting more money released from FIFA via the always-delayed Goal Project in Pakistan. They cant get their men's team and the Goal Project done on time so they decided to form a women's side to fleece more FIFA funds.Pakistani women football players prove mere punching bags for Arab rivals
http://www.footballpakistan.com/inde...d=17&Itemid=14
KARACHI: The coach of Pakistan’s women football players on Thursday asked his players to show seriousness if they are to make their presence felt at the international level.
The advice from the national women’s team coach Tariq Lutfi came after the Pakistani squad crashed to a series of humiliating defeats in Amman, Jordan, in an international women’s futsal tournament earlier this month. Futsal is the indoor version of football and is sanctioned by the sport’s international governing body FIFA.
Pakistan were routed in all the four games they played in the tournament, conceding 64 goals in the process. They could score just one in the entire contest.
“The tour of Jordan was an eye opener for all of us,” says Lutfi who has had a series of coaching stints with the national men’s team before being recently asked by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to work with the women.
“But it is good that we went there. It helped all of us, especially the players, to be aware where we presently stand,” said the experienced Lutfi counted among the most successful football coaches in Pakistan.
Lutfi believes the Pakistan women have a long, long way to go. “At the moment our players have a very low standard. They have no speed, skills and worse, no body co-ordination,” he said.
In a nutshell, the players have to start from scratch.
“They already have done that,” Lutfi pointed out. “The process has started but now there will only be progress if our players work very hard.”
The Pakistani team returned home last week after featuring in the third Women Amman Futsal Championship held in Amman from May 11 to 15. Jordan’s Shabab Ordon edged title favourite Iranian club Rah Ahan 5-4 in a penalty shoot-out after a 3-3 standoff in the final. Another local team, Orthodox club, claimed the bronze by thrashing Lebanese side Arz 9-5 in a playoff.
Earlier in the league matches, Pakistan suffered heavy losses in matches against teams from UAE, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Their only goal came in a match against a Lebanese club which they lost 1-17. Striker Riffat Mehdi scored the precious goal.
“The Arab women were just too good for our girls,” said Lutfi. “They were playing like men.”
Lutfi said several Arab countries have long traditions of women playing football. He said that one of the participating clubs from Jordan was established way back in 1952. “On the other hand we have just started to have women’s football teams in Pakistan,” he said.
Lutfi stated he just had a week to train the players for the assignment in Amman. “Most of our players were not fit enough to actually take part in a competitive event. We tried to prepare them as much as possible.”
Lutfi expressed the worst part in the entire episode was the lack of professionalism among the players. “The players will have to develop a more serious approach if they are to improve,” he said.
Pakistan are trying to lift the standard of women’s football in the country following instructions from FIFA that has been giving healthy grants to PFF from its development fund in recent years.
The Pakistan women’s squad: Misbah Siddiqui (captain-Rawalpindi), Shaista Laghari (Sibi), Sheka Nazeer (Sheikhupura), Fahmida Habib (Quetta), Shabana Kausar (Jhang), Nadia Siraj (Karachi), Azra Matloob (Faisalabad), Farzana Mir (Quetta), Riffat Mehdi (Quetta) and Maryam Laghari (Karachi).
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