KARACHI, July 21: Two young Pakistani footballers will have a golden opportunity to train with one of the leading English Premier League clubs Charlton Athletic in the United Kingdom this month.
The two players, Atif Sachak and Kareem Kerai, both from Karachi United Youth Academy (KUYA), will leave for London on Saturday on invitation from Charlton. The pair will attend a pre-season two-week Academy and community programmes at Charlton Athletic Youth Academy in a bid to enhance their football skills.
Charlton, the former FA Cup winners who finished 13th last season, sent the invitation following a request by KUYA who are keen to build partnerships in community development and coaching with leading international clubs.
The training tour will surely enhance the skills of the players and help in generating interest in the game in Pakistan which at one time produced fine exponents of football at the Asian level during the 1960s but the sport is currently struggling to regain past glory.
Some of the leading players in the Charlton line-up are Darren Bent, Luke Young and Matt Holland who will be a great source of inspiration for the Pakistani youngsters.
Enthusiastic KUYA officials are excited about the tour, saying that the training opportunity will not only be beneficial to the club but also for Pakistan.
"The chance to train with future stars at Charlton Athletic Academy is a dream-come-true for our youngsters. We are happy at being able to provide our boys a chance to play at the highest level,” Imran Ali, the KUYA Director Youth and Operations, told Dawn on Friday.
“We don’t only see this chance as a positive development for just Karachi United but also for Pakistan. This is another small step towards our goal of putting Pakistan on world football map,” said Imran.
The KUYA officials believe the trip will also create opportunities for coaching clinics in Karachi.
“Our aim is to find and nurture the best talent from all over Karachi and Pakistan and we encourage aspiring young players to come for trials and showcase their skills,” said the KUYA official.
Both Atif and Kareem have been chosen for showing commitment, skill and hard work during the past year for the Karachi United youth outfit.
“Atif and Kareem have been selected since they worked hard and showed commitment. We believe they are the best at KU Youth,” said coordinator Adeel Rizki.
The two young players will be accompanied by coach Usman Iqbal who also hopes to enhance his skills by acquiring latest coaching methods during his stay with Charlton.
The Karachi United were founded by a group of Karachi-based soccer buffs in 1996 while Youth Academy was established in 2001.
The forthcoming trip will be United’s second to England. Earlier, a 14-member Under-15 youth squad received training at Manchester United Soccer Schools in July 2004.
The Karachi United officials also played a link between Fulham defender Zesh Rehman and Pakistan Football Federation which resulted in Zesh joining Pakistan ranks. Zesh made his international debut when he represented Pakistan at last December’s SAFF championship in Karachi.