Chitral: Kamal Abdul Jamil, President of Ideal Club Chitral and a candidate for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Executive Committee from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has expressed deep regret and strongly condemned over the exclusion of young footballers from Chitral from the Malakand Division football team selected for the Under-21 Games held in Peshawar.
In a statement issued to the media, he said that Chitral, an important region of Malakand Division comprising two districts, holds a distinct and proud position in the field of football. Young footballers from Chitral have proven their talent at both national and international levels; however, completely ignoring Chitral’s players in these national-level competitions is not only a serious lapse but also an act of injustice against the entire region, creating a negative and discouraging impression.
He added that it is the responsibility of the concerned authorities to provide young players with opportunities to participate in such competitions, but unfortunately this obligation is not being fulfilled.
Kamal Abdul Jamil urged the Provincial Chief Minister, the Provincial Minister for Sports, the Provincial Secretary for Sports, and the Director General Sports to conduct a transparent and impartial inquiry into the matter, to bring to light the factors behind deliberately keeping Chitral out of this process, and to take action against those responsible so that such practices can be prevented in the future.
He also made a special appeal to the Deputy Speaker of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Suriya Bibi, and Member of the Provincial Assembly, Fateh-ul-Mulk Ali Nasir, to take notice of the issue and ensure that injustices against Chitral’s players are addressed in the future.
He further stated that both districts of Chitral are extremely remote, and calling players to Swat for trials effectively amounts to excluding them from the selection process. He emphasized that initial trials for the formation of divisional teams should be conducted at the district level, while final trials of selected players should be held at the divisional level, with the mandatory involvement of the District Football Association (DFA) throughout the process.