Football: a beacon of hope in Lyari

A Karachi suburb torn with gang warfare and violence finds solitude in the most unlikeliest of avenues; the beautiful game.

Lyari is known to be rife with target killings, kidnappings and general gang warfare. People fear to come out of their home at night and are terrorized by the current situation.

However football is something which unites everyone and is serving as a great way for youngsters to channel their energies rather than engaging in the use of drugs, which is quite common.

Although the game is by no means a professional one in Lyari, local coach Yaqoob Baloch believes that there is talent in abundance in region and youngsters will forget crime if they are paid for their footballing services.

“There is so much talent in Lyari. It can be a great way of keeping these kids away from drugs and street crime especially if they are well paid and rewarded.”

While there are tragedies everywhere in Lyari, some have also have success stories to tell.

Munir Aftab, who is not from the most affluent of backgrounds has led the change and was Pakistan’s captain as they lifted the 2011 SAFF Cup in Nepal last year.

The defender revealed that as he focused all his energy on becoming a footballer, he had not time to engage in worthless activities such as drugs or violence.

“Because of my focus on football, my mind has never wandered off to other things like drugs or violence. Playing football runs in my blood. I just want to play forever.”

He dreams of becoming a top footballer but the path to success is not easy. Aftab has a tough routine and is forced to wake-up early in the morning as he begins his day on the training pitch. He then goes to school and assists his father before doing what
he loves the most- play football.

“I know I am chasing my dream. But it’s not easy,” Munir Aftab was quoted as saying.

Lyari’s crime drops immensely during the World-Cup and it shows that football can really have a positive effect on people’s lives.

Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=10422

Posted by Shahrukh Sohail on Jan 25 2012. Filed under Pakistan, Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry