In a bid to provide tough practice to the national team ahead of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifying stage being held in Chinese Taipei from April 2-6, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) plans to arrange a short foreign tour for the team in near future.
 “A foreign tour is needed before any big assignment, and we have already written to Bangladesh and Thailand in this regard, and are waiting for a response,” the secretary of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Col Ahmad Yar Khan Lodhi said.
Pakistan will have to top the qualification stage (Group A), which also has Sri Lanka, Guam and the hosts Chinese Taipei, before joining North Korea, India, Turkmenistan and Myanmar in the final round to be hosted by India from July 30 to August 10.
However, the secretary and the national coach have conflicting views regarding the initiation of the preparatory camp for the said assignment.
Ahmad Yar Khan Lodhi, the secretary of PFF, while putting aside the transition period for the players after their Premier League engagement, conceded, “We have no time and the camp would be started upto February 15 in a bid to make hectic preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup.”
On the other hand the coach Akhtar Mohiuddin deems at least a month long transition period necessary before initiating the preparations for the AFC Challenge Cup and said, “the players should take enough rest before stepping into a preparatory phase for the AFC Challenge Cup and I believe the players would be given at least an indispensable a month long rest.”
About the Pakistan team success in the AFC Challenge Cup qualification stage, the coach said, “Chinese Taipei is the only team which could put Pakistan in trouble, while the rest including Sri Lanka and Guam could be easily beaten,” saying Pakistan would easily qualify for the final round to be held in India.