Potential of Pakistani footballers scarier compared to rest of world: Maria

Pakistan women’s team captain Maria Khan believes that the potential of footballers in the country is scarier compared to the rest of the world.

The midfielder, who can also play as a centre-back, believes that the potential of footballers in Pakistan is scary.

"I have played in three different countries but I have never seen anything like the potential that sits in Pakistan. These athletes are competing at the international level without any consistent domestic football which makes their potential so scary,” Maria told The Asian Game on Monday.

"When these athletes get access to full time football and a professional setup, coupled with their experience of being deprived of football and high-level competition for so long and a healthy competitive environment, you are going to create a very deadly athlete,” she added.

Earlier, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) accepted the invitation to play in a women’s football tournament in Saudi Arabia in September, sources revealed on Monday.

The kingdom is going to organise a multi-national women’s tournament in September where a minimum of four and a maximum of six teams will participate.

The PFF was contacted by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation a few days ago.

Further details about the tournament will be revealed by the organisers once the teams are finalised.

Once the PFF gets the complete information about the tournament, they will set up a women’s team camp by the end of this month.

The PFF is hopeful that this tournament in the Middle East will be crucial for the development of players as they will get more international experience.