Rebuilding Pakistan Football: Nolberto Solano Interview

In a recent detailed sit-down interview with Eddie Fleischman from his base in Newcastle, Pakistan National Team head coach Nolberto Solano opened up about the stark realities and the long-term vision required to transform football in the South Asian country.

Regarding the current state of the project and his foundational approach to development, the South American legend stated:

"Everything was going to have to take time. It is important that the federation understands as a federation first that the sport always has to come from their side. I’m happy, and it is important that the people are valuing it little by little, even without a great result yet. Next year, we will finally start to have official competitions. I am teaching the football of Pakistan to crawl. I’m using the learning from the experience of having played, of having been in the national team, indicating a bit what the direction is. It’s not just for the senior team; the U17 and U20 must be involved."

Highlighting the most significant hurdle facing domestic players, Nolberto Solano talked about the absolute importance of establishing a professional league:

Expanding on this lack of a clear professional pathway, Solano pointed out that short-term domestic tournaments aren't enough to build a career on.

"They organized a 'Challenge Cup' tournament between academies associated with the federation, but the tournament lasted a month. It is not a championship," he explained. "(due to this) The boys go for study or work. We have been lucky in Peru that this is a profession(football), but in Pakistan, that is the objective—that the player who has the dream can see a path. Countries like India and Bangladesh have taken an advantage because they have had professional leagues for more than 10 years."

To stay competitive on the demanding Asian stage despite this domestic gap, Solano relies heavily on recruiting overseas talent to bolster the squad.

"We have the luck of having footballers outside the country for having been born in Denmark and Sweden. That small universe of footballers is what gives us the support to try to compete with the powerful selections like Japan, Australia, or South Korea. We have people here in England looking for players. There are boys doing youth divisions in important clubs, but they don't always convince easily because they are young and they have the hope of playing for England. We are convincing them to come and represent their grandparents, the uncles, the family."

Despite the overwhelming dominance of cricket in the country's sporting culture, the coach remains fiercely passionate and competitive.

"I have been there seven or eight months. I respect the cultures and the religions. It is a country where I walk and you breathe cricket. Cricket is the sport, the British influence. But I have the passion for football, the desire to win. I don't want to go to every match and get a beating; we try to be competitive."

Looking ahead to the upcoming friendlies and addressing his own future with the Shaheens, he concluded:

"We are going to a tournament in the Maldives in June for the FIFA date. We will play against Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and the Maldives. It helps us. I am returning Tuesday to start the training sessions. I liked the backing of the President; he came to look for me and gave me the opportunity to accompany this hard work. My contract is ending, but they want me to continue, and that is a good sign for the project."