Pakistan's sports isolation ends with arrival of Palestine, Malaysian football teams

Two foreign football teams ie Palestinian National team and Malaysian team will be touring Pakistan in March to mark return of international soccer teams to the country. Palestinian National team will face Pakistan in Lahore on 1st March, followed by Karachi encounter on 4th March. Later on, Pakistan Olympic Team will collide with Malaysian Olympic Team in the second leg of London Olympic Qualifiers on 9th March.
"When no foreign team was ready to visit Pakistan, PFF hosted the Afghanistan women team in third National Women Championship in 2007 and Iran's Malavan Bandar Anzali of Iran in the fifth edition of same event two years later, and now Palestine and Malaysian teams would tour Pakistan," said Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)'s President Faisal Saleh Hayat.
Faisal said: "Pakistan football team put up brilliant display with record four golds in South Asian Games. It is really unfortunate for Pakistan sports that it is currently completely isolated. I understand that it's a big drawback for our players and organisers which are discouraging." Pakistan, after two internationals at Lahore and Karachi, will reciprocate by visiting Palestine during April-May.
"It was my wish to play three international friendlies in each country but time and financial constraints are hampering not only the series but several other events/courses in PFF calendar 2011." "The more we play international matches, the more the team would develop for at least Asian standards. Soccer is not like hockey or cricket, which are played in handful countries. The competition is very tough in Soccer," said Faisal.
APP Adds: He said visit of two foreign football teams, Palestine and Malaysia will herald the resumption of tours of foreign teams to Pakistan. In other words, the visit of the two foreign teams will help in ending sports isolation in Pakistan which has been deprived of hosting all types of international sports owing to security concerns, he added.