Pakistan Premier League

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Pakistan Premier League
Country Pakistan Pakistan
Confederation AFC
Founded 2004 (2004)
Number of teams 16
Levels on pyramid 1
Relegation to PFF League
Domestic cup(s) National Football Challenge Cup
International cup(s) AFC President's Cup
Current champions KRL F.C. (4 titles)
(2013–14)
Most championships KRL F.C.
WAPDA F.C. (4 titles)
Website PPL
2013–14 season

The Pakistan Premier League (PPL), also known as the Pakistan Premier Football League is a Pakistani professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the Pakistan football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 16 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Pakistan Football Federation League. Teams play 30 matches each with 240 matches played in total.

The competition was established in 2004 following the decision of the Pakistan Football Federation to create a league to improve the standard of football played and to progress the national team’s performance.

The current champions are KRL F.C. who won the title in the 2013–14 season.


History

Origins

Pakistan’s first National Football Championship was played between May 28 to June 5 in 1948 at Karachi. The winners were Sindh Red, beating their fellow provincial team Sindh Blue.

It was a knock-out competition, which remained this way until it was replaced by the Football League in 2004. Football in Pakistan remained underdeveloped for decades due to mismanagement, lack of support and corruption. The Pakistan national team suffered as a result, and from once being one of the strongest sides in Asia, became one of the weakest in the world.

Foundation

In August 2003, with the support of FIFA under their ‘Goal Project’ to build new training facilities and offices for the PFF at the headquarters in Lahore, and new management within the Pakistan Football Federation, Pakistan restructured the national football system. The National Football Championship was replaced in 2004 by the national football league, called the National Division A Football League. This contained 16 teams from around Pakistan, the first time Pakistan had a national league.

A second division was also created, formally known as National League Division B Football League before being named the PFF National League. This initially contained 5 teams but now has expanded to 12 teams. The two bottom teams from the A league would to be relegated to the PFF league, while the top 2 teams in the PFF league would be promoted in their place.

WAPDA F.C. were the first national league winners, pushing Pakistan Army F.C. in second place.

Because of funding problems, relegation and promotion was an issue, as was the teams continued participation. This led to further changes in Pakistani football. The following year, after more reconstruction of the national game, the National Division A, was renamed the Pakistan Premier League. The Pakistan Premier League became a 12 club league, with the bottom two being relegated. In the 2005/06 season, football was played over the winter months instead of the summer.

In 2007/08 the league expanded to 14 teams. Fixtures were now held at 1:00 and 3:00 pm respectively on home and away basis. Then for the 2010/2011 season the league was set to 16 teams.

Structure

The Pakistan Premier League is professional league operated by the Pakistan Football Federation. The PFF oversee all aspects of the league and make unilateral decisions over any changes to the format, funding and sponsorship.

Competition

There are 16 clubs in the PPL. During the course of a season (which lasts from November to February) each club plays the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents for a total of 30 games for each club per season. Teams receive three points for a win and one point for a draw. No points are awarded for a loss. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. If a side fails to turn up, the opposition will be granted a 2-0 win. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned as champion. If points are equal the goal difference and goals scored then determines the winner. If still equal they are deemed to occupy the same position; if the champions, teams for relegation or qualification for other competitions thus cannot be decided, a series of play-off matches are played between the affected teams at neutral venues. The two lowest placed teams are relegated into the Pakistan Football Federation League and the top two teams from the PFFL are promoted in their place.

Qualification for Asian competitions

The top team in the league automatically qualifies for the AFC President's Cup, the weakest continental club competition in Asia. 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.

Finances

Though the league is professional, many as clubs are financially weak. The PFF also lacks funds, and occasionally has to prop up other clubs to keep them going. This is why most clubs are run by companies or organisations, these clubs are known as departmental teams.

Rs 3,640,000 will be distributed among participants as bonus. Each match will have Rs 20,000 as bonus. The winner of the match will get Rs 15,000 and the loser Rs 5,000. The champions will get Rs 700,000, the runners-up will receive Rs 500,000 while the third position team will receive Rs 400,000. The most valuable player (MVP) will get Rs 150,000 while the top scorer and best goalkeeper will pocket Rs 100,000 each. The club winning the Fair Play trophy will receive Rs 100,000.

Players

PPL 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; however teams are restricted to not more than 2 foreign players in the squad for the season and there are only a few foreign players in the league.

Players move on free transfers as contracts only last for a year, but some contracts can be as long as three years, and the transfer fees are small. Due to the nature of the league, players tend to work for the company/organisation they play for during the off season. Top players can command respectable football salaries.

Criticisms

One of the main criticisms leveled at the PPL is the number of games played over a short space of time. One team can be forced to play 3 games in a week due to the congested fixture list. The PFF’s attempts to cut costs have led to players becoming exhausted.

Another major criticism is that the league has an amateurish setup which isn’t allowing players to develop. The Pakistani club teams are considered lightweight in comparison to other Asian club sides and defeats by the opposition in the AFC President's Cup suggest that this may have some foundation.

The lack of independent clubs is also an issue, few can afford to play players at the highest level and so there is a dominance of departmental teams run by the sports division government agencies and private business.

2013 season

The League is set to be held in around eight cities of Chaman, Faisalabad, Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Nushki, Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Sahiwal.[1]

PPL 2013 clubs

Chaman

  • Afghan F.C. - Jamal Nasir Stadium
  • Pak Afghan Clearing Agency

Faisalabad

  • Lyallpur FC.

Karachi

Lahore

Nushki

Peshawar

Quetta

  • Muslim F.C. - Sadiq Shaheed Stadium
  • Pak Hazara F.C. - Yazdan khan stadium

Rawalpindi/Islamabad

Pakistan Premier League Championships

Season Champions Runners-up Third place
2004 WAPDA F.C. Pakistan Army F.C. KRL F.C.
2005 Pakistan Army F.C. WAPDA F.C. KRL F.C.
2006–07 Pakistan Army F.C. WAPDA F.C. KRL F.C.
2007–08 WAPDA F.C. Pakistan Army F.C. KRL F.C.
2008 WAPDA F.C. Pakistan Army F.C. KRL F.C.
2009 KRL F.C. Pakistan Army F.C. WAPDA F.C.
2010–11 WAPDA F.C. KRL F.C. PIA F.C.
2011 KRL F.C. Afghan F.C. Pakistan Army F.C.
2012-13 KRL F.C. KESC F.C. Muslim F.C.
2013–14 KRL F.C. TBD TBD

Awards

Top Scorer

YearPlayer/sClubGoals
2004 Pakistan Arif Mehmood WAPDA F.C. 20
2005 Pakistan Imran Hussain Pakistan Army F.C. 21
2006/07 Pakistan Arif Mehmood WAPDA F.C.
2007/08 Pakistan Arif Mehmood WAPDA F.C. 21
2008/09 Pakistan Muhammad Rasool KRL F.C. 22
2009/10 Pakistan Arif Mehmood WAPDA F.C. 20
2010/11 Pakistan Arif Mehmood WAPDA F.C. 21
2011 Pakistan Jadeed Khan Afghan F.C. 22

Most Valuable Player

YearPlayerClub
2004 Pakistan Khuda Bakhsh WAPDA F.C.
2005 Pakistan Adeel Ahmed PTCL F.C.
2007/08 Pakistan Mohammad Imran Pakistan Army F.C.
2008/09 Pakistan Samar Ishaq KRL F.C.
2009/10 Pakistan Nasrullah Khan PIA F.C.
2010/11 Pakistan Muhammad Haji PIA F.C.
2011 Pakistan Mahmood ali hazara WAPDA F.C.

Goalkeeper of the year

YearPlayerClub
2004 Pakistan Jaffar Khan Pakistan Army F.C.
2005 Pakistan Jaffar Khan Pakistan Army F.C.
2007/08 Pakistan Amir Qureshi KRL F.C.
2008/09 Pakistan Abdul Aziz WAPDA F.C.
2009/10 Pakistan Ghulam Nabi KRL F.C.
2010/11 Pakistan Muhammad Omer KESC F.C.
2011 Pakistan Jaffar Khan Pakistan Army F.C.

Fair Play Trophy

YearClub
2005

PTCL F.C.

2007/08

Pakistan Television F.C.

2008/09

Afghan F.C.

2010/11

Afghan F.C.

2011

PIA F.C.

Pakistan National Championships

Season Champions Runners-up
1948 Sindh Red Sindh Blue
1950 Balochistan Red Sindh
1952 Punjab NWFP
1953 Punjab NWFP Blue
1954 Punjab Blue Pakistan Railways F.C.
1955 Punjab NWFP
1956 Balochistan Pakistan Railways White F.C.
1957 Punjab East Pakistan White
1958 Punjab Blue Pakistan Railways F.C.
1959 Balochistan East Pakistan
1960 East Pakistan Karachi White
1961/62 Dacca Karachi Blue
1962 Dacca Karachi
1963 Karachi Pakistan Railways F.C.
1964/65 Karachi Pakistan Railways F.C.
1966 Karachi Pakistan Railways F.C.
1968 Peshawar Lahore
1969 Pakistan Railways F.C. Karachi
1969/70 Chittagong Peshawar
1971 PIA F.C. Karachi
1972 PIA F.C. Peshawar White
1973 Karachi Yellow Rawalpindi
1975 (1) PIA F.C. Punjab A
1975 (2) Sindh Red Balochistan Red
1976 PIA F.C. Pakistan Railways F.C.
1978 PIA F.C. Sindh Red
1979 Karachi Red PIA F.C.
1980 Karachi Red Pakistan Army F.C.
1981 PIA F.C. PAF F.C.
1982 HBL F.C. Pakistan Railways F.C.
1983 WAPDA F.C. HBL F.C.
1984 Pakistan Railways F.C. WAPDA F.C.
1985 Quetta PIA F.C.
1986 PAF F.C. PIA F.C.
1987 CTM F.C. KPT F.C.
1989 (1) Punjab Red Pakistan Railways F.C.
1989 (2) PIA F.C. SGP F.C
1990 Punjab Red PIA F.C.
1991 WAPDA F.C. HBL F.C.
1992/93 PIA F.C. Pakistan Army F.C.
1993/94 Pakistan Army F.C. WAPDA F.C.
1994 CTM F.C. WAPDA F.C.
1995 Pakistan Army F.C. ABL F.C.
1997 (1) ABL F.C. PIA F.C.
1997 (2) PIA F.C. ABL F.C.
1999 ABL F.C. Pakistan Navy F.C.
2000 ABL F.C. HBL F.C.
2001 WAPDA F.C. KRL F.C.
2003 WAPDA F.C. Pakistan Army F.C.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Sports/12-Aug-2010/PFF-approves-two-more-teams-in-Premier-League

External links

Competitions
National team
Miscellaneous
International Competitions
National Teams
Domestic Leagues
Top level football leagues of Asia (AFC)
† Provisional Associated Member
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