ISLAMABAD-The 22-member delegation of Islamabad football team will leave for China today (Tuesday) to participate in the China International Junior Under-19 Football Tournament 2016.

Islamabad Football Association (IFA) secretary Syed Sharafat Hussain Bukhari told The Nation that the event would start from tomorrow (Wednesday) and conclude on October 30 in Beijing. “In the past, Islamabad was badly ignored for even local level events, but ever since we have taken charge of the IFA affairs, we have not only conducted a series of tournaments both at junior and senior level, but also send our team for different international competitions and the performance of Islamabad team clearly speaks volumes about the efforts, we have been putting in.”

He said IFA president M Saleem Chaudhry would lead the delegation as head, while Haris Bin Haroon would be manager, Asif Hammad Malik coach and senior journalist Rana Tanveer Ahmed media manager.

“The players include Rajeb Hassan, Amaan Janjua, M Zain Ali, Huzaifa Azhar Khan, M Waleed Khan, Moneeb-ur-Rehamn, Shafiq Ahmed Awan, Azhar Hamza Wasti, M Anaaz Hussain Khan, Aimal Mahmood Khan, Hassam Mahmood Khan, Hammad Ijaz, Qammer Zaman, Syed Tanzeel Hussain Bukhari, Faisal Khan, Majid Ali, Abdullah and Hamza Rafique. The team will return on November 1,” Sharafat concluded.