Goodwill gesture as Pakistan appoints Indian-origin sportsman as football coach

The Pakistan Football Federation (PPF) has appointed an Indian-origin British sportsman, Tarishan Patel, as an assistant coach and performance analyst for the football team.

A new coach on Thursday joined the national team’s camp in Islamabad, where players were getting trained for the Qualifiers matches of the FIFA World Cup against Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan.

Taking to Instagram, the country's football body announced appointing Patel with a picture featuring him in the national team's shirt.

Patel has a diverse coaching background as he has worked with different organisations, clubs, and schools across England. 

Patel started coaching in 2006 as a scouting coach. In 2009, he worked with Luton Town as a Community Coach. Later, he joined Biggleswade United in 2019 as an assistant manager.

He also served as a coach for international academies Liverpool and Berkhamsted.

Pakistan will face Saudi Arabia on June 6 in Islamabad’s Jinnah Stadium, while the team will play against Tajikistan on June 11 at Dushanbe Central Stadium in Tajikistan.

After losing all four matches in the tournament, Pakistan stood at the bottom of Group G. 

The national football team lost its previous match against Saudi Arabia 4-0 and Tajikistan 6-1.