ISLAMABAD (APP) - The Pakistan Football League (PFL) is scheduled to begin in Lahore on June 4, inspiring joy and optimism among soccer-loving children.
The PFL launch will feature English football legend Michael Owen as the chief guest, alongside a foreign delegation of more than 25 members, including Mike Farnan, CEO of Redstrike; Davide Gomes and Luis Miguel de Sousa Santos Reis from SL Benfica; and Sky News football pundit Mike Alison Bender. Michael Owen has been appointed as the Ambassador of the Pakistan Football League.
The launch event is being organised by PFL UK Holdings, a UK-based group committed to overseeing the delivery of the Pakistan Football League (PFL) and investing tens of millions of dollars in the initiative.
PFL UK Holdings has been set up by Farhan Ahmed Junejo as its Chairman, Ahmer Kunwar as its President and CEO and other leading investors from the UK and UAE.
Farhan Junejo commented that PFL UK Holdings is the founding pillar and architect of international football in Pakistan with the strategic intent to drive foreign development investment.
He stated, “The group will leverage its international relationships to develop football in Pakistan, for Pakistan. We will uphold international standards while making football accessible to everyone who wishes to participate and engage with the world’s most beloved sport.”
Football is a school for a better life and the PFL’s mission is dedicated to social and educational development in football throughout Pakistan. Football 4 Hope will unite all four provinces, ensuring that football is accessible to everyone without discrimination, with equality as a core principle.
Whether it’s an impromptu game in slum areas, playing on mountain tops, street games across Pakistan, or formal development in schools and academies, football has the power to instil confidence, uplift the underdog, and foster unity. This unity brings the nation together to play with hope, regardless of the location.
Farhan Junejo said there is no other game like football as 1 ball and 22 players get a game of football anywhere in the world. He said, “We have prepared to flood the nation with 100,000 free footballs to bring joy and happiness to the children of the lost generations – kick a ball and use the power of the game to a better life!”
Organisers say PFL will bring together the best footballing talent from across Pakistan, offering players a platform to showcase their skills, compete at the highest level, and fulfil their dreams. They say the PFL is not just about football; it’s about uniting communities, celebrating diversity, and promoting a positive sporting culture.
Farhan Junejo said that £1 billion dollar investment in the sports industry is planned and interest from Gulf countries is also growing in the sports field. He said: “We are planning investment into football stadiums, football training centres and training of football players in international clubs is going to be very easy.”
Junejo shared that his team’s mission is to change the ecosystem of sports of football in Pakistan. He said, “Our target is to put Pakistan on the world’s soccer map. It includes league matches, training of children and players by international coaches in Pakistan, training of professionals in the world’s reputed international clubs like Benfica and other renowned clubs of Europe and building a soccer city. In this delegation, we are bringing top experts and companies who have done similar work in the United Kingdom, Italy, Turkey, UAE, Portugal, Vietnam and Qatar”.
“This is a mission to change the mind of our children to associate them with sports rather than crimes. This is a mission to give them hope for a better future. We are starting this mission by our initiative of One Smile: One Ball. You give us a smile and we give you a world class standard ball. Football and other sports are the only way to keep our children involved in healthy and positive activity and to bring them discipline and financial empowerment. We don’t want our children to go to Europe in ships but we want our children to go in private jets”, he continued.
Farhan Junejo said that Benfica has already agreed to take 100 children and players each year from Pakistan to their reputed world class training academy in Lisbon, Portugal.
He said, “This initiative can unite the whole country by bridging the divide. Our teams are already reaching out from far flung areas of North including Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Kashmir to Quetta, Gwadar and Malir & Lyari. Only three days of talent hunting in a poor neighbourhood brought more than 5,000 children to show their talent.”