Karachi: Mohammad Irfan scored five goals in two Metroville Star FC matches – once braced and then scored a hat-trick as the team registered two victories against Young Muslim Football Club in the fifth round of the ongoing Leisure Leagues Karachi Youth Initiative Football Tournament here at Khyber-Muslim Football Ground.
In the first match of the two-match tie, Metroville Star recorded 2-0 victory – thanks to Irfan, who scored both the goals. In the second match, Irfan recorded a brilliant hat-trick to help his team record a 4-0 victory. Zainul Abideen scored the fourth goal for the winners. Metroville Star was also adjudged last week’s best team of the group.
The four matches played were among the one hundred matches played at five different venues – namely Gabol Park (South District), 16-Star Football Ground (District Central), Ansar Union Football Stadium (District East), Mohammadi Stadium (District Malir) and Khyber-Muslim Football Stadium (District West) on Saturday and Sunday.
At Lyari’s Gabol Park, Lyari Academy’s Mohammad Noman scored one goal in the first match and two goals in the second match to give his team 1-0 and 2-0 victory against Mushtaq Academy.
Twenty teams are equally divided into two groups – Group A and Group B and are playing two matches against one another – on home and away basis against other teams in their respective groups. According to Leisure Leagues rule book, a league cannot have more than ten teams. Therefore, the twenty teams playing at one venue have been divided into two groups of ten teams each.
A total of 100 teams – twenty teams from each of the five districts namely District South, Central, East, Malir and West are participating in the mega tournament. More than nine hundred matches will be played to eventually identify ‘Leisure Leagues Karachi Champion’.
Leisure Leagues is organizing this league for the underprivileged youngsters of the city in order to keep them involved in healthy activities and subsequently away from unsocial activities. Leisure Leagues also believe that such activities can in near future produce football stars for the country.
Each player participating in the tournament has been given free kit and football shoes. Conveyance allowance has also been given to each team.
“In line with our long standing commitment to giving back to the people of Pakistan, we continue to provide opportunities for the underprivileged youth of Karachi through sports. This initiative will help keep them away from negative activities. And channel their energy in the right direction,” Chairman World Group Mehmood Trunkwala said. Leisure Leagues has been brought to Pakistan by Trunkwala family.
The twenty teams of a district have been divided into two groups – Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’. Each team in a group will play 18 matches, two matches against every other team in the Group. A total of 900 matches will be played in the first double-league stage.
Top teams from Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ will play District final and a District Champion will emerge. Subsequently, the champions from the five districts will play in a ‘Champions League’, playing one match against each other. The top team from the league will become ‘Leisure Leagues Karachi Champions’.
Leisure Leagues is holding its events across the country including Lahore, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Peshawar, Mardan, Quetta and Rawalpindi. Jacobabad and Gilgit are next in line. Leisure Leagues is looking forward to enhance their presence in more cities in near future.
The city champions of Leisure Leagues will then play in Leisure Leagues National Tournament, tentatively in March 2018.