New Delhi: A high adrenalin chase by the Pakistani cricket team on Tuesday at the ongoing world cup in India left the country cheering. Football fans though have no such luck. On Thursday evening, the Pakistan men’s football team take on Cambodia in a qualifier for the 2026 FIFA World Cup—and no one in Pakistan will be able to watch it.
Late Wednesday, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had to make the embarrassing admission that the game will only be available to viewers in Cambodia. In light of this, Pakistan football fans on social media have been expressing their disappointment and irritation. Yet the anger notwithstanding, it appears they have not given up hope of seeing their country in action. From the fans, the PFF has received a schooling on sports telecasting via online platforms. Eager to watch their national team, these fans can only hope that their lesson is heeded.
Bro do something real quick about it at any cost, we can not miss this important wcq match.
— Awais Kamil (@awais_kamil) October 11, 2023
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On the pitch
Thursday’s game is the first step on the road to 2026. It is the first instalment in a two-leg battle with Cambodia, who travel to Pakistan for the second-leg in Islamabad on 17 October. The team with the higher aggregate score after these two matches will join Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Tajikistan in Asian qualification Group G.
If the stakes of World Cup qualification were not high enough already, Pakistan’s past record only magnifies the significance of the tie with Cambodia. Victory would be nothing short of an historic feat for Pakistan. For starters, they have never progressed to the second stage of qualifying before. Poor results have been accompanied by poor performances. Indeed, since 2007, Pakistan have managed to score just two goals in qualifying matches. In the boardroom, the story has been much the same. The years from 2007 to 2023 have been punctuated by a series of serious infringements by the PFF. In 2015, the domestic premier division in Pakistan was suspended, while FIFA imposed suspensions on the PFF between 2017 and 2018, and again between 2021 and 2022.
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Off the pitch
Yet from these depths, the team has an opportunity to emerge anew Thursday. Unfortunately, the PFF seems unable to provide fans with an opportunity to witness it. For @Hassan6107, it is utterly ridiculous that although the game is fast approaching, football fans still know nothing about the broadcasting of the match, asking rhetorically ‘what is this marketing’. There is also a feeling among fans that the broadcasting blackout is the latest manifestation of an ingrained neglect of football in favour of cricket. In agreement with a fan who asked the PFF to find a telecast, @BasitAli92 said: ‘ye unko bolo jinko cricket ke ilawa kisi khel ka nahi pata’ (tell this to those who don’t know any game other than cricket).
ye unko bolo jinko cricket ke ilawa kisi khel ka nahi pata.
— BasitSnake (@BasitAli92) October 11, 2023
On another concerning and bemusing level, ordinary fans appear to know more about broadcasting than the PFF. On social media platform X (previously Twitter), @GhoraSufaid7 urged the PFF to speak with streaming service Ary Zap, suggesting it would be the perfect platform for the game. According to fans @Ch56900 and @TalibHussain24, other platforms such as Geo Super and CWC would be suitable alternatives.
Talk to PTV, they have so many channels to Telecast it, just like CWC when there are 2 matches they show the other one on PTV HOME
— Hussain (@TalibHussain24) October 11, 2023
In a similar vein, on the ProSports podcast, fans Shayan Obaid Alexander and Saad Nasir explained that there are two possible channels which feasibly could have broadcast the match. The ProSports podcast has now launched #FootballDikhao (#showfootball) in the hope that the PFF can be pressured into televising the game. Meanwhile, other social media users pointed out that at the very least, the PFF could reveal which Cambodian channel is broadcasting so that Pakistan fans could access it via a VPN.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)