Pakistan Premier League

The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; Urdu: پاکستان پریمیئر لیگ) is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's football clubs. At the top of the Pakistan football league system, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the PFFL B Division.

Pakistan Premier League
Organising bodyPakistan Football Federation
Founded2004 (2004)
CountryPakistan
ConfederationAFC
Number of teams12
Level on pyramid1
Relegation toPFFL B Division
Domestic cup(s)PFF National Challenge Cup
International cup(s)
Most championshipsKhan Research Laboratories
(5 titles)
TV partnersPTV Sports
Geo Super
Current: 2021–22 Pakistan Premier League
Seasons

note = (n.h.) = Not held

Since inception of the Pakistan Premier League in 2004, four clubs have won the title: Khan Research Laboratories (5) WAPDA (4), Pakistan Army (2) and K-Electric (1).[1] It has remained inactive since the end of the 2018–19 season.[2]

History

Pakistan's first professional football league began on 28 May 1948 as the National Football Championship. The league was a knock-out competition, which remained as the top football league in the country until 2004 with the introduction of the Pakistan Premier League.[3] National Football Championship featured teams representing cities or provinces, unlike current format where departmental teams play, with exception of Balochistan clubs (including Afghan Chaman, Baloch Nushki, Baloch Quetta and Muslim) which represents the city of Chaman, Nushki and Quetta respectively. National Football League also featured teams from Dhaka (Dacca FC) and Chittagong (Chittagong FC) from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Dacca FC won two back-to-back leagues, and Chittagong FC won league only once.

Foundation

In August 2003, major restructuring was undertaken by the Pakistan Football Federation with support of FIFA's Goal Programme. Several new training facilities were built across the country and a new Pakistan Football Federation Head Office was built in Lahore. Under new management, the Pakistan Football Federation restructured the National Football Championship and in 2004 introduced the National League Division A which contained 16 clubs, and the National League Division B with 5 clubs.

The 16 inaugural members of the new National League were:[4]

Premier League

In 2006–07 season, the National League Division A Football League was renamed to the Pakistan Premier League while the National League Division B Football League was renamed to the PFF League. In the following 2007–08 season, the league was expanded to 14 clubs. For the 2010–11 season the league was expanded to 16 clubs.[5] The two bottom teams at the end of each Pakistan Premier League season would to be relegated to the PFF League, while the top 2 teams in the Football Federation League would be promoted to the Pakistan Premier League.[5]

The league was suspended in 2015 due to the Pakistan Football Federation crisis,[6][7] until the lift on suspension by FIFA on 13 March 2018.[8] After resuming the activities in the 2018–19 season, the league was again not held from 2019 to 2021.[2]

The federation was once again suspended from all football activities by FIFA on 7 April 2021.[9][10] The league was suspended after a few months into the 2021–22 season and then cancelled.

Clubs (2021)
Team Location Stadium Capacity
Civil Aviation Authority Karachi Korangi Baloch Stadium 5,000
Huma Islamabad
Karachi United Karachi Karachi United Stadium 2,000
Khan Research Laboratories Rawalpindi KRL Ground 8,000
Lyallpur Faisalabad Railways Ground 10,000
Muslim Quetta Sadiq Shaheed Stadium 5,000
Pakistan Airforce Islamabad PAF Complex 2,000
Pakistan Army Rawalpindi Army Stadium 7,000
Pakistan Navy Islamabad PNS Karsaz Stadium 5,000
Sui Northern Gas Lahore Railway Stadium 5,000
Sui Southern Gas Karachi Karachi Port Trust Stadium 5,000
WAPDA Lahore Punjab Stadium 10,000

Champions

List of champions by season

For champions before the Premier League see List of Pakistan football champions.

Edition Season Champions Runners-up Third place
1st 2004-05 WAPDA Pakistan Army KRL F.C.
2nd 2005-06 Pakistan Army WAPDA KRL F.C.
3rd 2006–07 Pakistan Army WAPDA KRL F.C.
4th 2007–08 WAPDA Pakistan Army KRL F.C.
5th 2008–09 WAPDA Pakistan Army KRL F.C.
6th 2009–10 KRL F.C. Pakistan Army WAPDA
7th 2010–11 WAPDA KRL F.C. Pakistan Airlines
8th 2011–12 KRL F.C. Afghan Chaman Pakistan Army
9th 2012–13 KRL F.C. K-Electric F.C. Muslim FC
10th 2013–14 KRL F.C. K-Electric F.C. WAPDA
11th 2014–15 K-Electric Pakistan Army Pakistan Airforce
12th 2018–19 KRL F.C. Pakistan Airforce Sui Southern Gas
13th 2021–22 abandoned

Most successful clubs
Team Winners Runners-up Third place
Khan Research Laboratories 5 (2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19) 1 (2010–11) 5 (2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09)
WAPDA 4 (2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11) 2 (2005–06, 2006–07) 2 (2009–10, 2013–14)
Pakistan Army 2 (2005–06, 2006–07) 5 (2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15) 1 (2011–12)
K-Electric 1 (2014–15) 2 (2012–13, 2013–14) —
Pakistan Airforce — 1 (2018–19) 1 (2014–15)
Afghan Chaman — 1 (2011–12) —
Pakistan Airlines — — 1 (2010–11)
Muslim — — 1 (2012–13)
Sui Southern Gas — — 1 (2018–19)

Ranking
Main article: AFC Club Competitions Ranking

As of 26 August 2021[11]

Ranking Member Association Club Points 100% ACL 2023
(GS+PO)		 AFC Cup 2023
(GS+PO)
2021 2020Mvmt 2018 2019 2020 2021 Total
41 421 +1Brunei Brunei 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0 0+1
41 421 +1Guam Guam 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0 0+1
41 421 +1Northern Mariana Islands Northern Mariana Islands 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0 0+1
41 421 +1Pakistan Pakistan 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0 0+1
41 421 +1East Timor Timor-Leste 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0 0+1
41 421 +1Yemen Yemen 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0 0+1

Structure
Main article: Pakistani football league system

The Pakistan Premier League is directly under control of the Pakistan Football Federation. The PFF oversees all aspects of the league and makes unilateral decisions over any changes to the format, funding and sponsorship.

The league is essentially composed of departments, armed forces teams, and a group of local clubs.[12][13]

Competition format

Competition

There are currently 14 clubs in the PPL. The season lasts during the winter months stretching from November to February, with each club playing the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents for a total of 26 games for each club, with a total of 210 games in each season. Each teams receives three points for a win and one point for a draw. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned as PPL Champion. At the end of the season, the two worst teams are relegated directly to the PFF League, while the top two teams in the PFF League are promoted to the PPL.

Qualification for Asian competitions

The top team in the PPL automatically qualified for the AFC President's Cup until it's abolishment in 2014, it was the weakest branch of Asian Football, but the winner of the PPL would later be nominated for the AFC Cup from 2016. Technically, the PFF can nominate any team to represent them in Asia; however, only the team that finished top of their highest league are sent.

Sponsorship
Period Sponsor Notes Ref.
2009–10 KASB Bank PFF signed a partnership deal with KASB Bank, from 2009 to 2013. However, the deal was cancelled after just one season. [14][15]

Players

Pakistan Premier League clubs have almost complete freedom to sign whatever number and category of players they wish. There is no team or individual salary cap, no squad size limit, no age restrictions other than those applied by general employment law. Due to the nature of the league, some players tend to work for the company they play during the off season and top players can command respectable football salaries.

Media

PTV Sports was the official media partner of Pakistan Premier League. It showed live matches of the league while Geo Super showed highlights.

Awards

Top scorer
YearPlayer/sClubGoalsRef.
2004-05 Pakistan Arif MehmoodWAPDA 20 [16]
2005-06 Pakistan Imran HussainPakistan Army 21 [17]
2006-07 Pakistan Arif MehmoodWAPDA 18 [18]
2007-08 Pakistan Arif MehmoodWAPDA 21 [19]
2008-09 Pakistan Muhammad RasoolKhan Research Laboratories 22 [20]
2009-10 Pakistan Arif MehmoodWAPDA 20 [21]
2010-11 Pakistan Arif MehmoodWAPDA 21 [22]
2011-12 Pakistan Jadeed KhanAfghan Chaman 22 [23]
2012-13 Pakistan Kaleemullah KhanKhan Research Laboratories 35 [24]
2013-14 Pakistan MuhammadKarachi Port Trust 27 [25]
2014-15 Pakistan Muhammad RasoolK-Electric 22 [26]
2018-19 Pakistan Ansar AbbasPakistan Army 15 [27]

Most valuable player
YearPlayer/sClubRef.
2004-05 Pakistan Khuda BakhshWAPDA [16]
2005-06 Pakistan Adeel AhmedPakistan Telecommunication [17]
2006-07 Pakistan Adeel AhmedPakistan Telecommunication [18]
2007-08 Pakistan Muhammad ImranPakistan Army [19]
2008-09 Pakistan Samar IshaqKhan Research Laboratories [20]
2009-10 Pakistan Nasrullah KhanPakistan Airlines [21]
2010-11 Pakistan Muhammad HajiPakistan Airlines [22]
2011-12 Pakistan Samar IshaqKhan Research Laboratories [23]
2012-13 Pakistan Saeed AhmedMuslim [24]
2013-14 Pakistan Kaleemullah KhanKhan Research Laboratories [25]
2014-15 Pakistan Mansoor KhanPakistan Airforce [26]
Pakistan Muhammad MujahidPakistan Airforce [26]
2018-19 Pakistan Muhammad NaeemCivil Aviation Authority [27]

Goalkeeper of the year
YearPlayer/sClubRef.
2004-05 Pakistan Jaffar KhanPakistan Army [16]
2005-06 Pakistan Jaffar KhanPakistan Army [17]
2006-07 Pakistan Jaffar KhanPakistan Army [18]
2007-08 Pakistan Jaffar KhanPakistan Army [19]
2008-09 Pakistan Abdul AzizWAPDA [20]
2009-10 Pakistan Ghulam NabiKhan Research Laboratories [21]
2010-11 Pakistan Muhammad OmerKarachi Electric Supply Corporation [22]
2011-12 Pakistan Jaffar KhanPakistan Army [23]
2012-13 Pakistan Jaffar KhanPakistan Army [24]
2013-14 Pakistan Muzammil HussainWAPDA [25]
2014-15 Pakistan Muzammil HussainWAPDA [26]
2018-19 Pakistan Tanvir MumtazKhan Research Laboratories [27]

Fair play trophy
YearClubRef.
2004-05 Pakistan Telecommunication [16]
2005-06 Pakistan Telecommunication [17]
2006-07 Afghan Chaman [18]
2007-08 Pakistan Television [19]
2008-09 Afghan Chaman [20]
2009-10 Pakistan Airlines [21]
2010-11 Afghan Chaman [22]
2011-12 Pakistan Airlines [23]
2012-13 Zarai Taraqiati [24]
2013-14 Khan Research Laboratories [25]
2014-15 Muslim [26]
2018-19 Not awarded [27]

Criticism

The Pakistan Football Federation has been severely criticized for its non-serious attempts to increase the quality of football in the country.[12][13] The PFF cites claims of lack of funds from the government, however these claims are largely rejected by players and owners who agree that the PFF was severely mismanaged and corrupt. The league had an "amateurish" setup according to critics, which they claimed did not allow players to develop to the level they were capable of.[12] Pakistani clubs used to be considered as lightweight in comparison to other Asian clubs and defeats in the AFC President's Cup suggest that this may have some foundation. Another main criticism is the number of games played over a short period of time. One team could be forced to play three games in five days due to the congested fixture list.[12] The PFF's attempts to cut costs have led to players becoming exhausted.[13]

Departmental teams

Since the PFF has not made serious attempts to lure large businesses to invest in and sponsor teams, the league has a dominance of department and armed forces teams, which have resulted in poor attendances, with the best supported teams being the Balochistan clubs Afghan FC Chaman, Baloch Nushki and Muslim FC.[12] In stark contrast, the Karachi Football League, despite being a third level division, routinely attracts healthy audiences with the highlight being the 2008–09 final between Shahzad Mohammadan and Nazimabad FC where a huge crowd of over 18,000 witnessed proceedings at the KMC Stadium.[12]

The teams essentially survive on their department sport budgets, with the players sidelined as permanent employees than as professional footballers.[12] Private football clubs are severely strapped for cash and barely surviving a season.[12]

See also

References
  1. "FIFA, AFC committed to promoting soccer in Pakistan: PFF president". Nation.com.pk. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  2. "Pakistan - List of Champions". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  3. Ahsan, Ali (2 February 2011). "A history of football in Pakistan — Final part". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  4. "Pakistan 2004". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  5. "PFF approves two more teams in Premier League". Nation.com.pk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
  6. Din, Tusdiq. "Three years without any football - can Pakistan recover?". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  7. Maryam, Hajira. "'Dark day': Pakistan football HQ attacked, women's event scrapped". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  8. "FIFA lifts suspension on Pakistan Football Federation". The Express Tribune. 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  9. "FIFA suspends Chad and Pakistan football associations". FIFA. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  10. "FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation". Asian Football Confederation. 7 April 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  11. "AFC Club Competitions Ranking". Asian Football Confederation.
  12. "In-depth: Pakistan football". DAWN.COM. 13 January 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  13. Sohail, Shahrukh (9 August 2020). "FOOTBALL: A LEAGUE FOR PAKISTAN FOOTBALL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 28 June 2023.
  14. "KASB to sponsor Premier Football League [The News]". footballpakistan.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  15. "Riaz Ahmed: Sponsor-less PFF League concludes without representation from Sindh and Khyber Pakhtoon-Khuwa". footballpakistan.com. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
  16. "Pakistan 2004 (National League and Regional Championships)". RSSSF.
  17. "Pakistan 2005 (National Tournaments)". RSSSF.
  18. "Pakistan 2006/07 (National Tournaments)". RSSSF.
  19. "Pakistan 2007/08 (National Tournaments)". RSSSF.
  20. "Pakistan 2008/09 (National Tournaments)". RSSSF.
  21. "Pakistan 2009/10 (National Tournaments)". RSSSF.
  22. "KESC secure fourth position as PPL 2010 comes to an end". footballpakistan.com.
  23. "KRL has lifted the title of 8th Pakistan Premier Football League". footballpakistan.com.
  24. "PIA hold champions KRL to draw as league ends". footballpakistan.com.
  25. "Pakistan Premier League: KRL hold KESC and lift title". footballpakistan.com.
  26. "After four long years, K-Electric lift PPFL trophy [Express Tribune]". footballpakistan.com.
  27. "Contentious PPFL season ends with controversially-promoted team denied title [Dawn]". footballpakistan.com.
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