ISLAMABAD: Pakistan have announced a 23-member squad for the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia, with head coach Nolberto Solano set to join the team directly in Indonesia.
Solano missed the national team’s training camp in Islamabad because of a delay in obtaining his Pakistani visa.
According to sources, the coach initially applied under the wrong visa category. The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) submitted a new application after identifying the issue, but the process took longer than expected.
Assistant coaches Titus Bramble and Walid Javaid have been supervising the team’s training camp in Solano’s absence.
Solano is expected to travel directly to Indonesia and join the squad before the tournament begins. The competition will run from September 25 to October 5.
Pakistan will be led by captain Abdullah Iqbal, while veteran forward Kaleemullah has returned to the national team.
Young Midfielder Included
Pakistan U-17 captain Abdul Samad is also part of the squad.
The midfielder from Swat recently signed a two-year contract with Azerbaijani champions Qarabag FK.
Samad represented Pakistan at the UEFA U-16 Development Tournament in Kazakhstan in April. He captained the team and scored a header against the hosts during Pakistan’s UEFA debut.
PFF President Syed Mohsen Gilani also visited Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad during the training camp.
He met the players and coaching staff and reviewed preparations for the tournament.
“We will be playing teams that are significantly higher ranked than us and for us this is a historic moment,” Mohsen said in a video released by the PFF.
PFF Raises Concerns Over Facilities
Mohsen also said the facilities provided by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) had not been up to the required standard.
“We used the PSB’s facilities in the past but there never were complaints of this kind,” he said.
“But this time when I was made aware of the situation, we immediately changed the facilities and it will not happen again and it shouldn’t happen again.”
Mohsen expressed confidence in the coaching staff and players ahead of the tournament.
“We have full faith in our coaches and players and I think we are ready to show the world that we are ready to play the big boys,” he said.
Pakistan’s ASEAN Cup Fixtures
Pakistan have been placed in Group B of Division One alongside Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Green Shirts will begin their campaign against Thailand on September 26.
They will then face the Philippines on September 29 before playing Vietnam in their final group-stage match on October 2.
Pakistan entered the tournament after China withdrew from the inaugural edition to focus on preparations for the 2027 Asian Cup and 2030 World Cup qualifiers.
The national team also won the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in the Maldives earlier this year. The victory ended Pakistan’s 74-year wait for an international football title.
Pakistan Squad
- Yousuf Butt
- Hassan Ali
- Saqib Hanif
- Abdullah Shah
- Abdul Rahman
- Ali Khan
- Ali Agha
- Hayyan Khattak
- Ali Uzair
- Alamgir Ghazi
- Ali Raza
- Abdul Samad Arshad
- Kaleemullah
- Shayek Dost
- Abdullah Iqbal
- Easah Suliman
- Mohib Ullah
- Mamoon Khan
- Mohd Fazal
- Haris Zeb
- Umer Nawaz
- Abdul Samad
- Ali Khan
