LAHORE – Bradford’d Irfan Khan reported to coach Tariq Lutfi at the selection-trial-cum-coaching camp which is in full swing at the Model Town Football Academy for the ensuing Thailand Training Camp and two-legged qualifiers against Malaysia for the London Olympics.
Irfan is a midfielder at Bradford Park Avenue Association Football Club which is nowadays eleventh behind leaders Halifax Town, Colwyn Bay and Matlock Town in the 22-club Northern Premier League Premier Division, often referred to as Evo-Stik League Premier Division.
Irfan Khan represented Pakistan U19 team in the 35th AFC U19 Championship at Tehran in 2007 along with four other overseas players of Pakistan origin Usman Hussain, Umar Farooq Javed, Khurram Shahzad and Haroon Ishaq. “While they are British citizens, the players are eligible to line up for Pakistan because of their family heritage.
Bradford Park Avenue AFC have provided another footballer for us after Amjad Iqbal (now with Farsley AFC) who played superbly in the scoreless draw against Iraq in Asian Phase Qualifiers of the 19th World Cup Soccer at Damascus in 2007,” added Tariq. Incidentally, Tariq was also the coach when the first foreigner Usman Gondal (Leicester) landed in Pakistan, making his international debut on June 12, 2005 in the first NBP Test Match of the Pakistan-India series at Quetta.
