At a time when the Bangladesh and Afghanistan cricket teams have refused to tour Pakistan, former world champions spent a weekend in the country, playing exhibition matches in Karachi and Lahore on July 8 and 9.
Mentioning Bangladesh or Afghanistan isn’t intended as disrespect – neither of the cricket sides or the states – but simply to reiterate that two countries which have themselves have been targeted by the same ideological terror that plagues Pakistan are declining tour invitations.
That the champions who graced the Karachi Hockey Stadium and Fortress Stadium in Lahore came from a different sport doesn’t downplay the security challenges that the organisers faced, starting from convincing them to come to Pakistan, to ensure their safe stay.
Ronaldinho in Fortress Stadium
This group of six footballers included former World Cup and European Cup winners like Robert Pires; Nicolas Anelka who has played for some of the topmost clubs in the world, including Real Madrid; Luis Boa Morte who played for English Premier League sides for nearly a decade and a half, including Arsenal; and George Boateng who has played league and international football at the highest level, including participation in the then UEFA Cup final in 2006.
But of course, there were two stars that spearheaded the lineup, and had Pakistani football aficionados in utter disbelief till the moment they actually caught a glimpse of their superstars.
Ryan Giggs, the longest serving and most decorated player for Manchester United – perhaps the most supported club in the country – captained one of the seven-a-side teams. The Manchester United Pakistan Supporters group, which is officially registered with the club, had their members put up banners dedicated to Giggs and even chanted his songs during the matches.
Giggs joined by other international footballers
The lineup, however, was led by Brazil and Barcelona legend Ronaldinho, a former World Cup and UEFA Champions League winner who was crowned the FIFA Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005. And so Ronaldinho and Friends, as they were billed, after the tireless efforts of the Leisure League, came to Pakistan in a bid to encourage football and help the country bring international sport back home.
The matches themselves were always going to be mere formality, as most exhibition contests are. The skills on display, however, mesmerised the fans in the country in both the games.
There was evidently more enthusiasm in Karachi, traditionally Pakistan’s football capital, and the event was better organised there as well. Lahore’s choice of Fortress Stadium, smack in the middle of the Cantonment area, might have bolstered the security for the event but compromised the experience for many of the ticket-holders. Many of those who had purchased the Bronze passes did not even have a proper view of the seven-a-side pitch that had been carved out, due to the sheer distance from the action and many hurdles and obstacles in the away.
Ronaldinho with the Army Chief
Even so, just like the result, these things were secondary. Many of those who might not have had as clear a look at Ronaldinho, Giggs, or the others, would’ve been overjoyed by a glimpse of these giants for world football, or even by the simple realisation that for that hour or so they shared that space with them.
Similarly, even those who couldn’t make it to either of the two games – although many had flown in just for the matches – were simply overwhelmed by the fact that players that they have followed on TV – those who even their wildest dreams wouldn’t have brought all the way to Pakistan – were in their country.
Pakistan are currently ranked 200 out of 211 international football teams. How much Pakistan’s football is in disarray can be understand by the pact that the Pakistan Football Federation is fighting with two separate parties that claim to be representing football in the country. Even the Pakistan Super League, the country’s designated football league, has discontinued since 2015 because of these, and other, disputes. This is a country that until the 1970s was a respectable name in Asian football.
Giggs with 'Chacha Cricket' and the organisers
What Ronaldinho and Friends’ visit might do to football in Pakistan remains to be seen, and would take a long time to finally bear fruit, but what it might to for the nation’s favourite sport is huge.
Of course Pakistan is still a long way away from becoming completely secure to sustainably host international events. But the fact that athletes of such a high pedigree came to Pakistan will only boost the PCB’s case that the country is safe to host international cricket – even if intermittently, as things stand.
A World XI is due to tour Pakistan in September. Both the profile of the players and the successful hosting of event would be crucial for the immediate future of cricket in Pakistan. That series will be followed by Sri Lanka’s tour – and the PCB are doing their best to ensure that it goes ahead in Pakistan and not the UAE.
“We have come to Pakistan to send a message to the world that Pakistan is a peaceful country. My experience has been very good. We’ve been looked after. I got told of the love of the people of Pakistan for football, not only cricket. The desire from the young people, especially, is here,” Giggs said in a press conference during the tour.
“I think the security was excellent and we thought that Pakistan was only a cricket-loving nation but after our visit we know they are as passionate about football as well,” Ronaldinho said through an interpreter in the press conference at Lahore.
The people of Pakistan are even more passionate about their country and its image. They want nothing more than normalcy to return. Thank you, Ronaldinho and Friends for helping Pakistan take a massive step towards that.
