Wapda’s football stars Naveed Akram and Mahmood Ali have signed two-month loan contracts with Saraswoti Youth Club (SYC) of Nepal for the 2011 Nepal Martyr’s Memorial A-Division League campaign that is already under swing across football-mad Himalayan nation.
Midfield maestro Mahmood Ali from Quetta and dynamic fullback Naveed Akram from Multan have become the first two Pakistanis in nearly 4 decades to accept offers to play in foreign leagues, and have expressed their desire to make all Pakistani football fans proud by giving their best in Nepal, said the information made available here.
The last few Pakistani footballers who managed to play abroad were the likes of Ali Nawaz Baloch and Ghulam Sarwar ‘Teddy’ who played in the leagues of UAE and other Arab countries in the Persian Gulf during their upstart years in early 1970s.
The loan periods began mid-May and ends in mid-July 2011, which coincides with the final two months of the 3 month long Nepal A-Division League season, with top 8 teams from the 18 participants will then play in Nepal National League 2011.
“It is an honour for me and Mahmood to be given the chance to play in a foreign league to really see how international club football is”,said Naveed on Wednesday.
Both Mahmood and Naveed have been part of WAPDA’s domestic title winning squads for last few years.
During WAPDA’s disappointing 2011 AFC President’s Cup campaign in Nepal back in late April, both players alongside WAPDA spearhead Arif Mehmood impressed Nepalese football scouts from GoalNepal.Com to offer them loan contracts to help boost their league campaigns.
Arif Mehmood unfortunately could not be available due to national team camp call-up, but Naveed and Mahmood had no such commitments with either WAPDA because of the close season or with the national team. This helped finalise their deals with Saraswoti YC.
Saraswoti YC won promotion to 2011 Nepal A-League season by winning the 2010 NFA Nepal Martyr’s Memorial B-Division League and have an ambitious plan to establish themselves as a top-division force across Nepal.
“Such an opportunity can hopefully give a route for many Pakistani footballers to play abroad in foreign leagues in the coming year”, said Mahmood.
