Khan ‘gutted’ by FIFA action over his future
OTIS Khan was forced to watch from the sidelines as Pakistan ended a 13-match winless run to progress to the next stage of World Cup qualifiers, with his eligibility in the eyes of FIFA still up in the air.
After the first leg against Cambodia in Phnom Penh finished 0-0, a goal from Harun Hamid was enough to secure victory at Jinnah Sports Stadium in a first home game for Pakistan since 2015.
It was also the first win for Pakistan, ranked 197th, since 2018, setting up games against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan, starting in November for the second round of qualifying.
Khan will hope he can be involved in those games with Pakistan “actively collaborating” with FIFA to address the issue they have brought up regarding his eligibility to play for Pakistan. The Mariners winger qualified initially through his paternal grandfather, Kanwar Jamil Mohammed Khan, who was born in Delhi, British India, prior to the partition and subsequently migrated to Pakistan, with FIFA’s requirements stating that one of his parents must have been born in Pakistan.
Khan found out about FIFA’s original decision just hours before kick-off for the first leg against Cambodia, and that was after having done an interview with
FIFA’s official website in the build-up to the game.
Khan said at the time: “To say I’m gutted is an understatement. “With the great support and blessing I’ve received from my club manager, supporters and teammates, I’ve travelled thousands of miles around the world to get here and to find out two hours before kick-off I’m ineligible to play in a historic game is heartbreaking! How could this happen? “Angry, disappointed, let down, gutted. I don’t know what to say! I am so proud to represent this country and like any young player, simply had a dream to play for the National team. “Someone needs to answer for this as you’re stopping a simple dream from becoming possible!” After being granted international clearance in the summer, Khan made his Pakistan debut against Mauritius in a friendly last June, going on to win six caps, playing for the team in the SAFF Championship in India in July. The 28-year-old missed the Mariners’ games against Bradford City in the EFL Trophy and Accrington Stanley in the league while out on international duty with Pakistan, which has not turned out how he would have hoped from a personal perspective, missing out on a historic moment for the national team.
TOWN STAR MISSES PAKISTAN’S VICTORY