National Football Player Tufail Shinwari Discusses National Team and the Need for a Domestic League

In an interview with Geo News, national football team player Tufail Shinwari shared his thoughts on his experience with the national coach, the importance of a domestic league, and the future of the sport in the country.

Speaking about his experience working with the coach Nolberto Solano, Tufail says, "He is a great legend and a big player. He is good with everyone, but he is very good with me and guides me a lot. He tells me that since I am young, I can improve and develop even more. He personally guides me a lot, and it feels great to play with him and we are getting to learn a lot from him."

When asked about the team's past performances, Tufail says, "If you look at our matches against Afghanistan and in Kuwait, we played very well. We played aggressive, attacking football just as the coach taught us. By bad luck, it ended in a draw, otherwise, those were our matches."

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Football rhythm and fitness levels cannot get better in just 10 or 15 days in a camp. If there is a league, Insha'Allah we can give much better results.

Regarding the absence of fans in the stadium for upcoming games, Tufail says, "The Pakistan fans, the Ultra Shaheens, and all the other fans who come out support us a lot at our home ground. We will miss them this time, but we hope that they will continue to support us on social media."

Discussing the urgent need for a Pakistan Football League and maintaining fitness, Tufail says, "We work on fitness in the camp with our physical trainer, and I also work on fitness a lot at my club, Karachi United Club. But a league will be very beneficial. In every country in the world, a league runs. We hope that Insha'Allah it will happen here because it is very necessary. Football rhythm and fitness levels cannot get better in just 10 or 15 days in a camp. If there is a league, Insha'Allah we can give much better results." He emphasized the need for a longer format, adding, "A long league of over six months is very important. Good matches will benefit the players a lot."

When asked if a time will come when football becomes as popular a sport as cricket in Pakistan, Tufail says, "It is already much better than before, and Insha'Allah, we hope that it will get even better in the future."