ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Saturday the participation of the country’s national women’s futsal squad in the Asian Cup tournament next year, marking it their first competition under the auspices of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Futsal, a dynamic indoor variant of soccer played with a smaller, harder ball, emphasizes skill and control over physical power, and is popular in countries like Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. Recognized by major soccer organizations, including FIFA, the game’s focus on quick passing and space management has contributed to its growing global appeal.
“I am pleased to announce that the PFF has confirmed the participation of the Women’s Futsal team in the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025,” PFF Chairman Haroon Malik said in a statement. “This participation highlights PFF’s commitment to developing women’s futsal in Pakistan and providing our players with opportunities to compete at the international level.”
To prepare for the AFC Women’s Futsal Asian Cup 2025, the PFF has organized five Futsal National Cup (FNC) competitions in major cities across Pakistan.
The qualification round for the tournament will begin at the start at the outset of the next year, with the round of 12 set to take place in May 2025.
Pakistani authorities have been actively seeking to diversify athletic interests and skills beyond the nation’s predominant passion for cricket, promoting sports like futsal to broaden the athletic landscape.
Despite the cultural and social hurdles, these efforts include encouraging more participation among women, who rarely have opportunities to engage in sports and international competitions.
Pakistan Football Federation announces women’s futsal team participation in next year’s Asian Cup
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Pakistan Football Federation announces women’s futsal team participation in next year’s Asian Cup
- Futsal, a dynamic indoor variant of soccer played with a smaller ball, emphasizes skill and control over physical power
- The competition will mark the first time the national women’s futsal squad will compete in any premier competition
Pakistan arrests two suspected human smugglers amid ongoing crackdown
- Islamabad has intensified crackdown on human trafficking after multiple boat tragedies involving Pakistani migrants in recent years
- This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued several Pakistanis among 44 migrants off the coast of Libya
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two human smugglers from the eastern province of Punjab, the agency said on Sunday, as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown to dismantle trafficking networks and curb illegal migration.
Islamabad has intensified its crackdown on human trafficking networks after multiple boat tragedies resulted in its citizens getting killed in recent years. This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued Pakistanis among 44 migrants off Libya’s coast.
The FIA said it had conducted raids in Punjab’s Okara and Mianwali districts and arrested two suspects involved in visa fraud and human smuggling, who had swindled a few individuals out of Rs1.15 million ($4,142) on pretext of sending them to Oman.
“The suspects had gone into hiding after receiving money from citizens,” the agency said in a statement. “An investigation has been launched after the arrest of the suspects.”
Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey each year in a bid to escape surging inflation and opt for a better life as the cash-strapped country navigates a tricky path to economic recovery from a macroeconomic crisis.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
Other incidents have also seen Pakistani migrants perish in shipwrecks off Italy, Tunisia and Libya, highlighting the persistent risks faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings to Europe.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly urged citizens not to undertake such perilous journeys, while international agencies warn that smugglers continue to exploit economic hardship and conflict to lure migrants onto unsafe boats.
