Team from disadvantaged, sports-rich area wins 2025 Singa Cup silver medal
KARACHI:
The Lyari Football Academy team received a hero’s welcome on their return to Karachi after winning the silver medal at the Singa Cup 2025, Asia’s biggest youth football tournament.
The young footballers, hailing from the deprived but sports-rich Lyari district, were welcomed with garlands, rose petals and chants of ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ on their arrival at the Karachi International Airport.
Sindh Assembly member Muhammad Farooq was present to receive the team. He congratulated the players for their outstanding performance, saying they had brought pride not only to Lyari but to the entire nation. “These young athletes have proven that passion and determination can overcome any obstacle,” he said, acknowledging the team’s success despite financial and resource constraints.
Lyari Football Academy President Sheikh Abdul Rehman vowed to continue developing young football talents and urged the Sindh government and Provincial Sports Minister Sardar Muhammad Bakhsh Mehr to extend financial and institutional support to the players. He said that with proper facilities and encouragement, Lyari footballers could achieve even more success at the international level. Among those present to welcome the team were Sufyan Dilawar, Syed Jawad Shoaib, Jan Muhammad Baloch and Zohaib Hussain Baloch.
Lyari Football Academy bagged the silver medal as runners-up in the Boys Under 16 category at the Singa Cup football tournament in Singapore.
