Former English footballer Michael Owen signs 3-year deal to become PFL official ambassador

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Former English football player Michael Owen has signed a three-year deal to become the official ambassador of the Pakistan Football League (PFL), according to a media release from Global Soccer Ventures (GSV).

"Owen will take the reins of Pakistan football to help devise a strategic partnership programme by uniting the nation with the might of football in England. Owen will reveal the PFL logo from the home of football in England in October," the statement reads.

It added that he is scheduled to visit Pakistan to conduct a series of football master classes and formally unveil PFL's logo.

Owen's "hybrid role" will include creating a global professional gateway for new Pakistani footballers who can adapt to the modern form of the game.

"Pakistan’s football potential is huge and I am excited about identifying untapped talent in a nation of 220 million. I am looking to cross-promote and develop football between UK and Pakistan through the first ever franchise model league — The PFL," the media release quoted Owen as saying.

Meanwhile, GSV CEO Zabe Khan said he was "pleased" to see the English athlete playing an important role in charting a new era of football for Pakistan. "This is a striking partnership to help Pakistan move the goal posts to international development of football," he said.

Owen was the "crown jewel of Liverpool", according to the media release, and also won the Ballon d'Or in 2001.

"Pele hailed Owen as one of the world’s greatest living players in the current era. With his wealth of experience, Owen has embarked on a journey to uncover a new crop of talent and form priceless partnerships to create a player franchise gateway programme," the media release stated.

Owen began his career with Liverpool FC as a schoolboy and went on to be their top goal scorer from 1997 until he moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 2004. After spending a year in Madrid, he returned to England to join Newcastle United.

In 2009, Owen joined Manchester United on a free transfer and after three years at Old Trafford, he joined Stoke City where he retired at the end of season 2012/2013.

"His rise to glory started when he netted on his senior debut for Liverpool in 1997 against Wimbledon and the young English starlet made his debut for the England senior team in 1998 making Owen the youngest player ever to represent England."

The statement said a kickoff date and full league schedule would be announced soon.

It added that new franchise teams would soon be awarded for Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Islamabad, Peshawar and Multan. "[The teams] will see a new era of football taking huge strides to develop football to international standards," it said.

'Pakistan's first franchise-based domestic league'
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah had signed a partnership with GSV in August to launch the PFL and upgrade the infrastructure for football in the country.

The press release issued for the announcement had said that the new venture would also entail the construction of a state-of-the-art "flagship" stadium in Karachi.

GSV also roped in some big-hitters to launch the six-team PFL — one of them being former Manchester United International managing director Mike Farnan, who oversaw the club’s growth as a global marketing behemoth near the turn of this century, joining the PFL as its chief operating officer.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1648169/f...3-year-deal-to-become-pfl-official-ambassador

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Great move. Football has lot of potential in Asia especially in Pakistan.

 

[Mamoon]

He must be terribly desperate for a job. Considering his clownery, it is not surprising that he didn’t get any offers from England, Europe, Middle East or even India.

This is embarrassing considering the stature that he had at one point.

Great marketing move for PFL though it won’t make an iota of difference.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Thats quite a good signing for the league. Hes an exceptionally poor pundit but every knows him in the UK and at his peak he was an incredible player.

There are reports that each team will have a premier league twin, if true that will be a tremendous boost for the league.

 

[IMMY69]

He must be terribly desperate for a job. Considering his clownery, it is not surprising that he didn’t get any offers from England, Europe, Middle East or even India.

This is embarrassing considering the stature that he had at one point.

Great marketing move for PFL though it won’t make an iota of difference.

You don't know so best you do one

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Loved this guy!. '98 World Cup was a goat goal

 

[KingKhanWC]

He must be terribly desperate for a job. Considering his clownery, it is not surprising that he didn’t get any offers from England, Europe, Middle East or even India.

This is embarrassing considering the stature that he had at one point.

Great marketing move for PFL though it won’t make an iota of difference.

Owen works as a pundit on the PL and Champions League, one of the highest paid pundits in the UK.

He wants to help devolop football in Pakistan, you're confusing this with the IPL, not everybody lives for money.

Amazing by Owen, this will help Pakistan football to grow no doubt.

 

[Mamoon]

Owen works as a pundit on the PL and Champions League, one of the highest paid pundits in the UK.

He wants to help devolop football in Pakistan, you're confusing this with the IPL, not everybody lives for money.

Amazing by Owen, this will help Pakistan football to grow no doubt.

Owen couldn’t give a toss about Pakistan or Pakistan football. Having listened to his analysis over the eyes as well as his views on social media, he is a clown and a thick one.

I bet he doesn’t know anything about Pakistan unless he had some Pakistani friends growing up.

He was an immensely talented player though - a shame injuries and a miscalculated move ruined what should have been a legendary career.

Nevertheless, he is still a Ballon d’Or winner.

The fact that someone like him is getting associated with Pakistan football at the age of 41 clearly shows that he is not getting any real offers.

Otherwise no one in his right mind would waste his time with Pakistan football.

Nevertheless, football in Pakistan will only develop when the government makes heavy investment and grass-roots level. Simply hiring a big name cheerleader like Owen will not make any difference.

He will basically make a couple of trips to Pakistan, life in 5 star hotels, attend a few meetings and speak a few tokens words about the great talent in Pakistan and bla bla.

There will be no accountability, he will have no deadlines, no objectives to meet. He is getting paid for cheerleading and sweet words. For PFF, simply having the association of a big name football personality like him is more than enough reason to pay him money even if he has no role to begin with.

Anyone big name footballer / football personality can milk these South Asian countries just by offering their name. However, most don’t because it is beneath them. It will devalue their brand and impact their credibility.

You will only associate yourself with football teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even India if you are not getting good offers from proper football countries.

Would a big name cricket coach the Brazil or French cricket team or will a big name cricketer associate his names with such teams? Not if they have any self-respect and more importantly, are getting offers from major cricket countries.

 

[topspin]

Owen couldn’t give a toss about Pakistan or Pakistan football. Having listened to his analysis over the eyes as well as his views on social media, he is a clown and a thick one.

I bet he doesn’t know anything about Pakistan unless he had some Pakistani friends growing up.

He was an immensely talented player though - a shame injuries and a miscalculated move ruined what should have been a legendary career.

Nevertheless, he is still a Ballon d’Or winner.

The fact that someone like him is getting associated with Pakistan football at the age of 41 clearly shows that he is not getting any real offers.

Otherwise no one in his right mind would waste his time with Pakistan football.

Nevertheless, football in Pakistan will only develop when the government makes heavy investment and grass-roots level. Simply hiring a big name cheerleader like Owen will not make any difference.

He will basically make a couple of trips to Pakistan, life in 5 star hotels, attend a few meetings and speak a few tokens words about the great talent in Pakistan and bla bla.

There will be no accountability, he will have no deadlines, no objectives to meet. He is getting paid for cheerleading and sweet words. For PFF, simply having the association of a big name football personality like him is more than enough reason to pay him money even if he has no role to begin with.

Anyone big name footballer / football personality can milk these South Asian countries just by offering their name. However, most don’t because it is beneath them. It will devalue their brand and impact their credibility.

You will only associate yourself with football teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even India if you are not getting good offers from proper football countries.

Would a big name cricket coach the Brazil or French cricket team or will a big name cricketer associate his names with such teams? Not if they have any self-respect and more importantly, are getting offers from major cricket countries.

I wouldn't rule out Michael Own actually playing for Pakistan. What are you going to do when this happens?

 

[ElRaja]

what is the PFL? who are the teams, players, etc?

i have very little hope for pakistnai football, but would be interesting how economically viable it all is.

 

[PakLFC]

What is does in the west has nothing to do with Pak. For us such a good name is a good signing.

 

[Mamoon]

I wouldn't rule out Michael Own actually playing for Pakistan. What are you going to do when this happens?

I will laugh at him.

 

[sa88]

He must be terribly desperate for a job. Considering his clownery, it is not surprising that he didn’t get any offers from England, Europe, Middle East or even India.

This is embarrassing considering the stature that he had at one point.

Great marketing move for PFL though it won’t make an iota of difference.

So what are your constructive thoughts about what should be done to improve the state of football in the country ?

 

[Technics 1210]

Please remember, [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] was 6 years old when Owen was at his peak. Ignore the troll.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Owen couldn’t give a toss about Pakistan or Pakistan football. Having listened to his analysis over the eyes as well as his views on social media, he is a clown and a thick one.

I bet he doesn’t know anything about Pakistan unless he had some Pakistani friends growing up.

He was an immensely talented player though - a shame injuries and a miscalculated move ruined what should have been a legendary career.

Nevertheless, he is still a Ballon d’Or winner.

The fact that someone like him is getting associated with Pakistan football at the age of 41 clearly shows that he is not getting any real offers.

Otherwise no one in his right mind would waste his time with Pakistan football.

Nevertheless, football in Pakistan will only develop when the government makes heavy investment and grass-roots level. Simply hiring a big name cheerleader like Owen will not make any difference.

He will basically make a couple of trips to Pakistan, life in 5 star hotels, attend a few meetings and speak a few tokens words about the great talent in Pakistan and bla bla.

There will be no accountability, he will have no deadlines, no objectives to meet. He is getting paid for cheerleading and sweet words. For PFF, simply having the association of a big name football personality like him is more than enough reason to pay him money even if he has no role to begin with.

Anyone big name footballer / football personality can milk these South Asian countries just by offering their name. However, most don’t because it is beneath them. It will devalue their brand and impact their credibility.

You will only associate yourself with football teams like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even India if you are not getting good offers from proper football countries.

Would a big name cricket coach the Brazil or French cricket team or will a big name cricketer associate his names with such teams? Not if they have any self-respect and more importantly, are getting offers from major cricket countries.

You just made this all up lol.

Again, Owen is paid very well as a pundit, he covers so many matches on various platforms. Before this , he was rich even without appearing as a pundit. Owen is worth over £35 million.

This is a great chance for Pakistan football to advance rapidly. The new league will consist of fewer clubs, Karachi, Lahore etc.

English Premier League clubs are currently in talks , hoping to join in this partnership. This is will be amazing for Pakistan footballers because if an agreement is reached, Pakistan footballers will train with these PL clubs in England. This will improve them to the best level they can be.

You may have an issue with Pakistan moving forward in any way but please do some basic research first.

Premier League clubs are ready to cash in on new Pakistani league by 'twinning' with teams from the franchise... and they could wear the same colours as their partnered side

Six Premier League teams are looking to form partnerships with Pakistani clubs
English outfits will 'twin' with sides ahead of the PFL's launch next spring
It is the first partnership of its kind and could see teams adopting similar colours

Premier League sides hope the partnerships can help them grow their brands and fanbases in a largely untapped market. They also plan to use the twinning to try to engage with their own local Asian community. The Pakistan teams will benefit by being able to tap into the expertise of their Premier League partners and potentially spend time at their training facilities.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...cash-new-Pakistani-league-twinning-clubs.html

 

[offstump]

Who are the backers of the PFL?

 

[KingKhanWC]

Who are the backers of the PFL?

Not yet confirmed as far as im aware.

According to Zabe, tenders for Karachi, Islamabad, and Peshawar franchises were advertised. Pakistanis from Europe, America, and UAE have shown interest in buying franchises.

“We have received bids from Europe, America, and UAE. The winning buyers will be revealed soon,” he shared.

“Plannings are underway to associate franchise owners with European football clubs. PFL will also feature international football stars from around the world,” he concluded.

https://arysports.tv/massive-interest-recorded-buy-pfls-franchises-zabe-khan/

 

[PetroDollars]

his punditry career is over as he talks so much nonsense, however PLF wouldn't care, its a great acquisition for them and for Pakistan, the only thing that matters for them are the name and brand from the EPL he brings.

 

[Kaddy]

When will PFL start?

How much they are paying to Owen.

 

[Saj]

The PFL is just a start hopefully.

The plan has to be to improve domestic football and progress that into the national set-up.

Easier said than done.

 

[KillerBee]

Pakistan Football League being set up by GSV

A football league being setup in Pakistan by GSV. Recently, they just signed a deal for a stadium which they will develop to international FIFA standards. Now they are trying to recruit players for 6 teams being made. 7 players for each team through trials and 4 players from clubs/departments which are already part of Pakistan Premier League.

The trials are going to start from 17th of this month in Islamabad. They are going to take place in 10 different cities. They are going to send upto 20 of the players chosen from these trials to train with a first division irish club named St. Patrick's Athletic FC. Further, more players will be chosen to train with more international clubs.

Then they plan to broadcast the matches in HD and actually have decent pays for the player (I think 3000 USD for the trial ones and 7000 USD gotten from the PPL).

Any further news will be shared in this thread. I hope this really takes off.

 

[KillerBee]

GSV, NED University ink $12M stadium deal

KARACHI: Global Soccer Ventures, looking to launch a franchise football league in Pakistan, have entered into a US$12million 10-year agreement with NED University of Engineering & Technology to set up a ‘Soccer City’ Stadium, it was announced in a news release on Tuesday.

It said that the reveal of the stadium plan is due to follow at the end of this month but Dawn understands that the deal will likely see the transformation the NED University’s football ground into a stadium which will host the matches of the Pakistan Football League, the six-team franchise league announced by GSV last year.

Although there is no start date for the PFL, the infrastructure for it is being developed with GSV claiming that the Soccer City will “offer FIFA international playing conditions and an enduring football experience for fans and players with a raft of marketing and technology opportunities for brands”.

“I have seen the science and evolution of football on offer and it will be a major transformation for football in Pakistan,” NED University vice-chancellor Dr. Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi was quoted as saying in the news release.

Former England striker Michael Owen, who is the brand ambassador for GSV, added that the Soccer City “would not only ignite inter-city football rivalry but will also become the future of football development all over Pakistan”.

GSV had entered into a long-term deal to hold the PFL with the court-elected Pakistan Football Federation of Ashfaq Hussain Shah, which isn’t recognised by FIFA.

But Ashfaq’s PFF has since been forced out of its office with the FIFA-appointed PFF Normalisation Committee set to be handed back the headquarters of the country’s football governing body which would see the lifting of the FIFA suspension on Pakistan in place since April.

GSV, though, has crucially secured backing from the government to launch the PFL which is modeled on cricket’s highly-popular Pakistan Super League.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2022

 

[MenInG]

Former England ace striker Michael Owen is due to arrive today in Islamabad to brief Prime Minister Imran Khan on a roadmap to develop football in Pakistan.

The former Liverpool international’s tour is ex-pected to trigger a fresh life in football in coordina-tion with the Global Soccer Ventures (GSV).

Michael will meet PM Imran Khan and his Spe-cial Assistant Usman Dar to outline GSV’s football transformation programme for Pakistan.

He will attend a meet and greet session with the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and con-clude his Islamabad visit at a high-profile presiden-tial reception hosted by President Arif Alvi.

In Karachi, on 26 January, Michael Owen will attend a press conference at NED University to offi-cially hold a groundbreaking ceremony and release images to the world of Pakistan’s first-ever Soccer City.

Michael Owen said, “I am really excited to be at the helm of Pakistan’s largest football transforma-tion programme and delighted to be discharged with the responsibility to take football to a whole new level in Pakistan”.

Zabe Khan CEO of GSV said, “There is not much to say when England’s pride and joy takes the top job to revive football in Pakistan. Michael has been a very loyal servant to Liverpool and his com-mitment and loyalty to making Pakistan a successful football nation seems relentless”.

https://pakobserver.net/owen-to-meet-president-pm-army-chief/

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 178.218%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/i3bxim" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: England football legend Michael Owen has touched down in Pakistan on his two-day trip to the country.

Owen will meet with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday and discuss a roadmap to develop football in the country.

Former Liverpool star will also meet Special Assistant Usman Dar to outline GSV’s football transformation programme for Pakistan.

After this, Owen will be hosted by the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and will conclude his Islamabad leg with a reception hosted by President Arif Alvi.

Owen will then visit Karachi on Thursday to attend a press conference at NED University, where he will officially hold a groundbreaking ceremony. The images of Pakistan’s first-ever Soccer City will also be revealed on Thursday.

Michael Owen said, “I am really excited to be at the helm of Pakistan’s largest football transformation programme and delighted to be discharged with the responsibility to take football to a whole new level in Pakistan”.

Zabe Khan, CEO of GSV, said, “There is not much to say when England’s pride and joy takes the top job to revive football in Pakistan. Michael has been a very loyal servant to Liverpool and his commitment and loyalty to making Pakistan a successful football nation seems relentless”.

Yasir Mahmood, Group Chairman of GSV, said, “It is a great honour for Pakistan to welcome Michael Owen to a country which needs a professional direction with football. All I can say is exciting times with football lie ahead.

“Football is here to stay with the GSV master plan by the implementation of its strategy for Pakistan. GSV will develop a sustainable grassroots plan, devise a Talent ID programme for international development in Europe, create lucrative professional pathways with international football contracts offering a career-changing lifestyle for the super talented, and develop a state of the art stadium starting with Karachi as the flagship soccer city at NED University featuring world-class sports science development.”

https://tribune.com.pk/story/234035...RCMHZFeS1HVnpTSTdlOXdJV19VSmJRbzRROVktUFZYUlI

 

[Last Monetarist]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Football legend <a href="https://twitter.com/themichaelowen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@themichaelowen</a> met COAS today. COAS thanked him for visiting Pakistan & promoting sports particularly football. "Sports promote peace and this initiative for developing football infrastructure and young talent in Pakistan is a welcome step" COAS. <a href="https://t.co/EJv5QCh4Pr">pic.twitter.com/EJv5QCh4Pr</a></p>— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/OfficialDGISPR/status/1485962897872363524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Owen speaking on a TV show

“We are creating a program whereby 20 of Pakistan's best footballers are going to come over and play at St Patrick's in Ireland. They have got a great pathway to all of Europe, they sell players and they can be a stepping stone to the Premier League"


“Footballis played all over the world and it’s a real shame that there are 220 million
people here [in Pakistan], with a large part being young people, but there isn’t
a very good structure for football"

“We can’t fix everything at once. I think we need to create something where people want to play football, want to be out there with their friends, kicking the ball and want to improve their skills. Then we move it to being coached well with better facilities,"

 

[Azzurri]

Why is COAS meeting every random celebrity? This has to stop really. They should focus on their job instead of doing these needless gimmicks

 

[Mamoon]

Why is COAS meeting every random celebrity? This has to stop really. They should focus on their job instead of doing these needless gimmicks

He is a state guest and was therefore invited by the king to meet him. He also met the king’s subject (Imran Khan), so I don’t think we should make a fuss out of it.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Why is COAS meeting every random celebrity? This has to stop really. They should focus on their job instead of doing these needless gimmicks

Owen is one of the most famous players in the world. Pakistan is still a security concern, therefore the cheif was meeting Owen to reassure him and thank him.

Pakistanis who actually care about Pakistan, should this is a great venture by Owen, UK and Irish football to help Pakistani football.

 

[James]

Good news for all concerned.

 

[MenInG]

On his day-trip to Karachi, Michael Owen broke new ground and even saw his penalty saved.

He did get it right with his next penalty on the football pitch of NED University of Engineering and Technology, which is being transformed into “the first-ever Soccer City” in Pakistan by Owen-led Global Soccer Ventures.

Moments earlier, the former England international striker unveiled the plaque during the ground-breaking ceremony for the stadium which is expected to be completed by this year.

GSV, which is looking to organise the Pakistan Football League — the first franchise football league in the country — with Owen as its global brand ambassador, has inked a US$12 million deal with the NED University to create what it called a “modern” football arena.


The ceremony on Wednesday was to unveil the plans for its design. Yet, the three-dimensional video of its proposed design had a conceptual difference to how modern football venues are constructed: there is a running track between the pitch and the stands.

Asked by Dawn during a news conference whether he felt the design was of bygone football arenas, Owen reminisced about the Munich Olympiastadion — the venue where he scored his only international hat-trick — which also has a running track around the pitch.

“I scored a hat-trick in a stadium which had a running track around it and it felt great,” said the 42-year-old about his three goals against Germany in England’s famous 5-1 World Cup qualifying win over their storied rivals.

The only problem with that: it was more than two decades ago in September 2001. Since then the Munich Olympiastadion’s most famous residents, Bayern Munich have moved to the Allianz Arena, which doesn’t have a running track, meaning fans can be closer to the action.

Other teams across the world have also left outdated Olympic arenas with running tracks around the pitch, including Italian giants Juventus who have moved to the Allianz Stadium from the Stadio Delle Alpi.

Owen, though, was excited at the plans. “The proposed plan fills me with excitement,” he said.

NED University vice-chancellor Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, meanwhile, sought to defend the plans. “The track is valuable to us,” he said. “We are engineers and we will build engineering solutions around it.”

Dr Sarosh added that regulations had been fully followed in the deal between the government institution and GSV.

“There are regulations that have been followed for public-private partnerships,” he said. “The facility will be ours but it will operate on joint-usage with it being handed to the GSV during the PFL.”

Following the press conference, Liverpool great Owen and Pakistan captain Saddam Hussain took to the pitch where they took penalties against the goalkeeper of the NED University team.

Owen’s first effort was punched away while Saddam blazed over. But Owen turned back the years with his second penalty, finding the bottom corner, before heading to the centre of the pitch where there was confetti and fireworks.

First step
The stadium is the first step for the GSV to hold its proposed PFL, on similar lines to cricket’s glitzy Pakistan Super League.

Apart from the PFL, GSV has also joined hands with the government in its Kamyab Jawan programme which has seen it hold talent hunts across the country to find the best 20 under-19 players who will go on to train with Irish club St Patrick’s Athletic.

That has seen GSV garner strong support from the government and the Pakistan Army to push ahead with its plans to hold the PFL even though it has failed to strike a deal with the FIFA-appointed Pakistan Football Feder*ation Normalisation Com*mittee.“We approa*ched PFF NC chairman Haroon Malik to join us but he refused,” GSV chief executive officer Zabe Khan told Dawn on Wednesday.Haroon, who has plans to set up his own league, did not respond to Dawn when asked to confirm if he’d refused.

GSV had earlier inked a 10-year deal with the court-elected PFF of Ashfaq Hussain Shah, whose takeover of the PFF headquarters from the NC saw FIFA suspend Pakistan in April last year.

The suspension will continue until the PFF headquarters is handed back to the NC. Ashfaq and his group of officials, who came to power after the Supreme Court held an election of the PFF which wasn’t recognised by FIFA, have been evicted from office themselves due to an issue surrounding its lease agreement.

That effectively means that the contract signed between GSV and Ashfaq’s PFF is up in the air. But while the government is supporting the PFF NC, it is also backing GSV to promote football in the country.

Owen, a winner of the prestigious Ballon d’Or in 2001, was in Islamabad on Tuesday where he held meetings with President Dr Arif Alvi and Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

He attended a reception at the Sindh Governor’s House on Wednesday evening and will be in Lahore on Thursday to attend a trials session there.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2022

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Why is COAS meeting every random celebrity? This has to stop really. They should focus on their job instead of doing these needless gimmicks

COAS is a big celebrity in Pakistan.

Most othet countries don't know who their COAS is but we are obsessed.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Owen speaking on a TV show

“We are creating a program whereby 20 of Pakistan's best footballers are going to come over and play at St Patrick's in Ireland. They have got a great pathway to all of Europe, they sell players and they can be a stepping stone to the Premier League"


“Footballis played all over the world and it’s a real shame that there are 220 million
people here [in Pakistan], with a large part being young people, but there isn’t
a very good structure for football"

“We can’t fix everything at once. I think we need to create something where people want to play football, want to be out there with their friends, kicking the ball and want to improve their skills. Then we move it to being coached well with better facilities,"

This could be fantastic for the development of the game in PK. It will hopefully give players something to aspire to.

Owen is a big name and can attract a lot of eyeballs towards football in Pakistan.

 

[MenInG]

The England and Liverpool football legend Michael Owen came to Pakistan on January 25, and particularly in Karachi on January 26, for the ground-breaking ceremony of country’s first soccer city at the NED University, Karachi.

He arrived as the brand ambassador of Global Soccer Ventures (GSV), and the stadium is a part of the 10-year agreement of investment in NED grounds of worth $12million. It will also serve as the playing field for the franchise-based Pakistan Football League, while the venture has linked up with Irish Club St Patrick’s Athletic and their coaches to carry on a nation-wide talent hunt in 10 cities simultaneously, with 20 players to be selected who will then go on to train in Ireland.

The GSV programmme is now happening under the umbrella of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Kamyab Jawan Sports Drive, which also saw Owen meet the PM himself, pay a visit to the Pakistan Army’s General Headquarters and meeting with the Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Jawed Bajwa.

Owen was kind of enough to answer the questions sent to him by The Express Tribune.

Tribune: Who has been most impressive young footballer you have seen recently?

Owen: I think the one player that I'm really excited about for the future is Phil Folden of Man City. I think he is an exceptional player; he's got that class about him that you don't see often. He is a bit different to everybody else, so I expect him to become a world class player in the years to come.

Tribune: What are England's chances at the 2022 FIFA World Cup?

Owen: Well, of course, we have a chance. I wouldn't say we are the favourites. There’s other great teams around the world, of course, France are very strong. Brazil, Argentina are always strong. There’s Portugal. So yeah, there are lots of very good teams, but I would think that we would definitely go there with a chance and we've got some good young players, we’ve got a good manager, we’ve got good team spirit and we are getting better all the time. So, we've got a good chance and it is something to look forward to at the end of the year.

Tribune: What has been your favourite sport/football related book that may have inspired you?

Owen: My autobiography (chuckles). I used to collect sticker books when I was young, but I didn't really read any autobiographies or anything else like that. I was just a real keen football enthusiast, and when there was a World Cup or something like that I would always try to buy stickers to fill my book. That's how you learn about different names, different people within the game. That's probably my initial beginning into the game.

Tribune: In your opinion what's the best formation in football?

Owen: Formations pretty much depend on the players that you've got available. I always thought when we were with England in our golden generation,we were playing the wrong formation. I thought we were very good at centre half and very good at centre midfield but we tend to play 4-4-2 all the time. We never could get our best players in their best positions. I mean playing with someone like Scholes, Gerard and Lampard as a three would have been amazing. I think if you play a 3-5-2 and if you play it well it is a very difficult system to play against. I think that’s a very strong formation, however, playing three at the back is a bit like we call it marmite, you either love it or you hate it, and if you make it work then it is a great system. But some players find it difficult to adjust to playing three at the back. If I was a manager and I was playing safe to start with, I would probably play 4-2-3-1 at the moment, but if I have the right players then I would like to play 3-5-2.

Tribune: What has been your favourite stadium to play at?

Owen: I think Anfield on European nights is a special place. It has seen so many historic games so I think that would have to be my favourites. I mean the Bernabéu, the Camp Nou, they've been some great stadiums I've played in, but I think Anfield is my favourite.

Tribune: Who has been your favourite to ever don the number 10 jersey and why?

Owen: Well number 10 jersey. I think obviously there have been some great number 10s; Pele, Maradona, Messi, some amazing number 10s. I mean when I was growing up John Barnes was the number 10 at Liverpool and I thought he was just the most incredible player. It was such an honour when he handed me the shirt to carry on that legacy, so I would have to give a special mention to him. He was one of the world’s best.

Tribune: Which club do you feel most attached to?

Owen: Liverpool. I came through the ranks of LFC, joined them early, always wanted to play in the first team, it was my dream and I played all my best football at LFC or most of my best football at Liverpool. I was at my peak when I was at the club so LFC would be who I regard as my team.

Tribune: Your best-ever performance and why?

Owen: I would probably say the (2001) FA Cup final. Coming from 1-0 behind against Arsenal to beat them 2-1 and scoring two goals in the last five minutes to win the FA Cup. That was against the great team of Arsenal, the Invincibles era, and to beat them in the Cup final, and I always dreamt of winning the FA Cup. When I was a boy the FA cup meant everything to me, so to score the winning goal in that competition was probably the best match I have ever played in.

Tribune: Any message for Pakistani footballers, especially women?

Owen: Women’s football is getting more and more popular around the world. While I’ve been out here, I’ve seen women play and understand the game better and better all the time. So it is very encouraging that women’s football is now very popular and I hope that it continues to grow. I think it is important that everybody recognises that it is a very good sport and it should be played by all. I look forward to watching Pakistani women’s team in the future.

Tribune: What has been your favourite thing about Karachi so far?

Owen: The people over here in Pakistan. The people have been very welcoming, very kind, I’ve really enjoyed it. We’ve had great three days and I look forward to coming back. But I think if it was one thing I would say it is the people have been really kind.

Tribune: What memory will you be taking home with you?

Owen: Well I think the culture you know. Driving through different places we’ve been, to see dignitaries, (GHQ) in Islamabad, we’ve actually been here in Karachi seeing the backstreets, where football, in Lyari, is played. So we’ve seen possibly some of the extremes and you are never going to see the whole of Pakistan in three days, but I think the culture has been really important for me to see.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2341620/michael-owen-talks-visit-to-pakistan