Lyari kids impress in ‘Inclusion in Football’ tournament

KARACHI: Lyari kids impress in ‘Inclusion in Football’ tournament. Inclusion in Football, a tournament organised by the Ziauddin Family Park in Karachi, saw the Under-12 team of Lyari’s Kashif Academy impress crowds on Sunday. In the past few years, young footballers from a Lyari football academy have been enrolled in three of the most prestigious football academies in Karachi. 

This tournament was organized by “The Football Recap” which featured four teams in each of the U-12 and U-14 age categories, with four teams per category taking part in the tournament. It is according to the founder of The Football Recap, Ayaan Zuberi, that the purpose of organising this tournament has been to showcase Lyari’s football talent to the world. The Lyari kids have a lot of talent, the former Pakistan captain Kaleemullah Khan said. Former Pakistan captain Kaleemullah Khan praised the organisers for hosting the event and said there is a lot of talent in Lyari. In the first match of the U-12 event, Kashif Academy (Lyari) defeated Karachi City 4-0, with skipper Sameer scoring two goals for the team in the victory. In the end, the team lost in a neck and neck battle against Karachi United (KU) 1-0 in the final. Lyari’s same Kashif Academy struggled to do well against older boys in the U-14 event, and they were not able to qualify for the finals against older boys. The final of the tournament was won by Kareem Kerai Academy 4-2 over KU. Sameer, the captain of Kashif Academy (Lyari), was the top scorer in the U-12 age group. KU’s Zain Sajid was voted the best player of the game. As far as the U-14 event is concerned, Ibrahim from KK Academy was the best player and top scorer. Kashif Academy (Lyari) finished second in the tournament, and KU finished third. KK Academy won the tournament and was awarded with the winners’ trophy.