Pakistan name Team for Olympics-qualifier Match against Qatar 
Pakistan Times Sports Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Monday named 18-man squad for the Olympics qualifier football match against Qatar to be played at Jinnah Stadium here on Wednesday night.

Pakistan are playing on home-and-away basis against the teams of Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait for a place in the football tournament of next year’s Olympic Games at Beijing (China).

Pakistan, with a world ranking of 169, have already played away match in Bahrain and Wednesday’s encounter, to kick off under lights at 7.00 p.m., will be their second game in a group in which they have to figure in six matches.

The world no. 77 Qatari team arrived here on Sunday and their officials naturally sounded upbeat about their team’s chances in the clash against the Pakistan side.

Pakistan team manager Irfan Khan Niazi released the following 18-man squad for the match:--Mehmood Ahmed and Ghulam Nabi (goalkeepers), Muhammad Shahid, Abbas Ali, Haji Muhammad, Samar Ishaq, Yasir Afridi, Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Ahmed (defenders), Zahid Hamid, Mubasher Hussain, Farooq Shah, Nasarullah Khan (midfielders), Imran Niazi, Muhammad Rasool, Abid Khan, Faheem Riaz and Adnan Bari (strikers).

Irfan Niazi said Pakistan played against Bahrain without their key defenders Imran Hussain, who was sidelined with injury, and Muhammad Shahid who missed the match due to suspension after picking up two yellow cards.

Muhammad Rashid will be the Pakistan coach while Gauhar Zaman will assist him. Dr. Kamran will be the physio and Muhammad Afzal the goalkeeping coach.

Niazi said Pakistan’s Bahraini coach, Salman Ahmed Sharida, was now with Almoharik Club which had gone on to win the Bahraini championship.●