The Geo Super Football League or SFL was the first professional inter-city football league of Pakistan, with support of the Pakistan Football Federation. It was established in 2007 and telecasted live via GEO Super. The SFL ran separate to the Pakistan Premier League. The league did not continue because the organisers and sponsors reportedly did not want to work with the Pakistan Football Federation again.[1]
In the first two seasons all matches were played in Karachi's Peoples Football Stadium.[2]
History
Geo TV Network and the Pakistan Football Federation came together in 2006 and began work on establishing Pakistan's first national inter-city football league to be televised on GEO Super. It ran based on franchise model, and as a parallel city-based league to the Pakistan Premier League over a span of two months, and was one of the few televised domestic championship held in the country since its inception. The league attracted record crowds at the Peoples Football Stadium in Karachi.[2][3]
However, with a lack of long term support from Pakistan Football Federation, the league was discontinued until summer 2010, when K-Electric stepped in to support the venture with another SFL season and merited a second attempt in 2010.[3] Players for each teams were selected through trials.[4]
However, the league did not continue because the organisers and sponsors reportedly did not want to work with the Pakistan Football Federation again. The reason was largely because Geo Super conducted it purely for commercial reasons, while the Pakistan Football Federation failed to cash in on it for the long term betterment of football in the country.[3]
Teams
The league was made up of five teams, representatives of different cities. Each team was composed of national and international players. For the first time the best players of the nation came together under the umbrella of these five cities for the inter-city football league. The names of the teams were the following:[5][4]
- Tribe FC Peshawar
- Islamabad United FC
- Lahore Lajpaals FC
- Quetta Zorawar FC
- Karachi Energy (Karachi Bazigar)
2007 season
Format
The 2007 season spanned from July 20 to September 9. All matches were played in the Peoples Football Stadium in Karachi. The SFL was divided into two rounds. The first round was a round-robin league format in which the 5 teams would play a total of 8 league matches each, twice against their opponents. After the commencement of the league round, the top 4 teams out of 5 were drawn for a knock-out stage round involving single-legged semi finals with the winners meeting in a final to determine the inaugural Geo Super League champion of Pakistan.
League round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lahore Lajpaals | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 19 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 2 | Quetta Zorawar | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 6 | +6 | 17 | |
| 3 | Karachi Bazigar | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 14 | |
| 4 | Islamabad United | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | −9 | 5 | |
| 5 | Tribe FC Peshawar | 8 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 18 | −11 | 2 |
Fixtures and results
| Karachi Bazigar | 1 – 0 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 1 – 1 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| Quetta Zorawar | 1 – 0 | Tribe FC Peshawar |
|---|---|---|
Jadid Khan  ?' |
(Report) |
| Islamabad United | 0 – 2 | Karachi Bazigar |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | Zeeshan Ali ?' Shakir Lashari ?' |
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 2 – 3 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| Abid 21' ? 33' |
(Report) | Amir Khan 4' (pen.) 52' (pen.) Mehmood ?' |
| Karachi Bazigar | 0 – 0 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| Islamabad United | 2 – 1 | Tribe FC Peshawar |
|---|---|---|
| Tajuddeen 13' Emeka Aliewa 43' |
(Report) | Hashmi 4' |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 1 – 0 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Asif 20' |
(Report) |
| Quetta Zorawar | 4 – 1 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Nasrullah 45' Shahid 79' Essa ?' Jadid ?' |
(Report) | Atiq Ullah 69' |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 4 – 0 | Tribe FC Peshawar |
|---|---|---|
| Akram 8' Mehmood 19', 60', 88' |
(Report) |
| Quetta Zorawar | 1 – 2 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| Jadid 64' |
(Report) | Bashir 54' Mehmood 62' |
| Karachi Bazigar | 4 – 1 | Tribe FC Peshawar |
|---|---|---|
| Aziz ?' Lashari ?' Moosa ?' Akbar Ali ?' |
(Report) | Siraj Hussain ?' |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 3 – 1 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Mehmood ?' Abdul Waqas ?' Amir Khan ?' (pen.) |
(Report) | Qasim ?' |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 1 – 0 | Karachi Bazigar |
|---|---|---|
| Zaheer Abbas ?' |
(Report) |
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 1 – 2 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| Niazi 10' |
(Report) | Essa ?', ?' |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 1 – 1 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Atif Hussain ?' |
(Report) | Qasim ?' |
Semi-finals
| Lahore Lajpaals | 0 – 0 (aet) | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | ||
| Penalties | ||
Amir Khan  Haji Muhammad Bashir Ahmed  Muhammad Shahid Naveed Akram Atif Hussain |
2 – 3 | Arif Masih Yasir Afridi Kamran Khan Sajjad Hussain Yasir Sabir Ghulam Mohiuddin |
| Quetta Zorawar | 0 – 0 (aet) | Karachi Bazigar |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Muhammad Essa Shahid Ahmed Noor Muhammad Mehmood Khan Agha Raza |
3 – 4 | Abdul Aziz Misbah-ul-Hassan Farooq Shah Akhtar Mamol |
Final
| Karachi Bazigar | 0 – 0 (aet) | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | ||
| Penalties | ||
| Abdul Aziz Misbah-ul-Hassan Farooq Shah Akhtar Mamol Ali Akbar |
3 – 4 | Yasir Sabir Kamran Khan Nasir Shoaib Atiqullah Ghulam Mohiuddin |
Awards
| Award | Recipient | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer[6] | Arif Mehmood (8 goals) | Lahore Lajpaals |
| Player of the Tournament[7] | Muhammad Essa | Quetta Zorawar |
| Fair Play Award[7] | Lahore Lajpaals |
2010 season
Format
The second season of Geo Super Football League, featuring five regional teams, was held from June 12 to August 8 at the Peoples Football Stadium under floodlights.
League round
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Karachi Energy | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 | +5 | 15 | Advance to semi-finals |
| 2 | Quetta Zorawar | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 12 | |
| 3 | Lahore Lajpaals | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 12 | |
| 4 | Islamabad United | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 7 | |
| 5 | Tribe FC Peshawar | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 6 |
Fixtures and results
| Karachi Energy | 2 – 2 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Shakir Lashari 20' Abdul Aziz 41' |
(Report) | 59' (o.g.) Akbar Ali 79' (pen.) Muhammad Ramzan |
| Quetta Zorawar | 3 – 0 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| Nasrullah Khan 19' (pen.) Jadid Khan 60' Mehmood Khan 73' |
(Report) |
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 2 – 2 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Ibrar Ullah 39' Sohail Khan 50' |
(Report) | 6' Yasir Afridi 10' Muhammad Qasim |
| Quetta Zorawar | 1 – 0 | Tribe FC Peshawar |
|---|---|---|
| Jadid Khan 38' |
(Report) |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 0 – 0 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) |
| Karachi Energy | 1 – 0 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| Saddam Hussain 21' |
(Report) |
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 0 – 3 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | 74' Muhammad Asif 81' 88' Ghulam Abbas |
| Islamabad United | 1 – 0 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| Fahadullah 53' |
(Report) |
| Karachi Energy | 3 – 1 | Tribe F.C. Peshawar |
|---|---|---|
| Abdul Rehman 2' Muhammad Rasool 12' 56' |
(Report) | 6' Adeel Ahmed |
| Lahore Lajpaals | 0 – 1 | Karachi Energy |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | 19' Saddam Hussain |
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 1 – 0 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Imran Niazi 90' |
| Quetta Zorawar | 2 – 1 | Karachi Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Kaleemullah Khan 29' Imran Hashmi 81' |
27' Muhammad Rasool |
| Quetta Zorawar | 2 – 2 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| Nasrullah Khan 38' 44' |
20' Ghulam Abbas 85' Muhammad Asim |
| Islamabad United | 0 – 2 | Karachi Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 0 – 1 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| Quetta Zorawar | 0 – 0 | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 1 – 1 | Karachi Energy |
|---|---|---|
| Islamabad United | 0 – 2 | Lahore Lajpaals |
|---|---|---|
| Tribe FC Peshawar | 0 – 0 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| Lahore Lajpaals | 0 – 0 | Karachi Energy |
|---|---|---|
Semi-finals
| Lahore Lajpaals | 1 – 2 | Quetta Zorawar |
|---|---|---|
| Adil 3' |
(Report) | 26' 33' Kaleemullah Khan |
| Karachi Energy | 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) (4 – 2 pens.) | Islamabad United |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Essa 91' (pen.) |
(Report) | 120' (pen.) Muhammad Ramzan |
Final
| Quetta Zorawar | 0 – 1 | Karachi Energy |
|---|---|---|
| (Report) | 83' Muhammad Rasool |
Top scorers
| Player | Club | Goals[8] |
|---|---|---|
| Muhammad Rasool | Karachi Energy | 6 |
| Nasrullah Khan | Quetta Zorawar | 3 |
| Ghulam Abbas | Lahore Lajpaals | 3 |
| Asim Mansoor | Lahore Lajpaals | 3 |
| Saddam Hussain | Karachi Energy | 2 |
| Mehmood Khan | Quetta Zorawar | 1 |
| Yasir Afridi | Islamabad United | 1 |
| Muhammad Qasim | Islamabad United | 1 |
| Ibrar Ullah | Tribe FC Peshawar | 1 |
| Sohail Khan | Tribe FC Peshawar | 1 |
Awards
| Award | Recipient[9] | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Top Scorer | Muhammad Rasool | Karachi Energy |
| Player of the Tournament | Muhammad Riaz | Islamabad United |
| Best Goalkeeper | Muhammad Omar | Karachi Energy |
| Best match commissioner | Iqbal Junior | |
| Best referee | Khurram Shehzad |
Records & statistics
- First match: Karachi Bazigars v Lahore Lajpaals (20 July 2007)
- Biggest winning margin: 4 goals
- Lahore Lajpaals 4–0 Tribe FC Peshawar (16 August 2007)
- Most wins in a season: 6 matches – Lahore Lajpaals
- Most losses in a season: 6 matches – Tribe FC Peshawar
- Most goals in a match: 6 goals
- Karachi Energy 4–2 Islamabad United (28 July 2010)
- Most goals in a match by a single player: 3 goals – Arif Mehmood (Lahore Lajpaals)
- Lahore Lajpaals 4–0 Tribe FC Peshawar (16 August 2007)
- Most goals scored by a team in a season: 15 goals – Lahore Lajaals
- Fewest goals scored by a team in a season: 2 goals – Tribe FC Peshawar
- Most goals conceded by a team in a season: 16 goals – Tribe FC Peshawar
- Fewest goals conceded by a team in a season: 5 goals – Karachi Bazigars
See also
References
- ^ Sohail, Shahrukh (2020-08-09). "FOOTBALL: A LEAGUE FOR PAKISTAN FOOTBALL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ a b Ahsan, Ali (2011-02-02). "A history of football in Pakistan — Final part". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ a b c Ahsan, Ali (2012-11-13). "Time to scrap the premier league?". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ a b "Super Football League: PFF announces trial schedule". DAWN.COM. 2010-05-16. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
- ^ "Pakistan - Foundation Dates of Clubs". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
- ^ a b "History - Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". 2011-10-17. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ a b "NEWS ( 3rd September - 9th September 2007)". 2007-10-08. Archived from the original on 2007-10-08. Retrieved 2024-09-08.
- ^ "Top Goal Scorers - Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". 2011-10-17. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ "Rasool inspires Karachi to SFL glory - Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". 2011-10-17. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
- ^ "Super Football League 2010 - Geo Super | geosuper.tv". 2011-10-17. Archived from the original on 2011-10-17. Retrieved 2024-07-04.
External links
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| League competitions |
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| Cup competitions |
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| Defunct competitions |
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