PESHAWAR - The first-ever Pakistan Football Super League (PFSL) consisting of top international players from across the world will be organised in October this year on two different venues Peshawar and Karachi.

This was revealed by FATA Olympic Association President Shahid Khan Shinwari on Tuesday while addressing a news conference at media center. He said preparations for the super league, being the biggest ever football event in the history of Pakistan, have already been started. Players would be selected from three different categories including platinum, Pakistan international and emerging categories.

Only two international players would be selected under platinum category by each of the five franchises. For this category, it will be mandatory for the franchise to select only those players, who played World Cup final, he informed. The initiative only aimed at promoting football in Pakistan.

Besides, playing of international football stars in Pakistan would certainly pass on a good message to the rest of the world, he maintained. It would also provide an opportunity to the young players to see top international players in action. Though there is no shortage of football talent, they lack the opportunities.

Talking about his meeting with IPC Minister Dr Fehmida Mirza, he said she had assured extending full support for holding this mega event.

Moreover, he was seeking help from the international donors and sponsors to make the event a historic one.

It is hard enough to hold PFSL without government support and that is why he had taken all the stakeholders including Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), IPC Ministry, Director General Sports KP, Minister Sports KP and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa onboard.

Shahid Khan disclosed that the PFSL matches would be held in Peshawar and Karachi. No one worked for the promotion of football in Pakistan and that is why the country is at the bottom in the international ranking, despite the fact that Pakistan have matchless talent in the game.

Before the Super League, exhibition matches would be organized in merger tribal districts, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi wherein the players of tribal district would play in Islamabad while Islamabad would be invited to play in tribal districts, he added.