 | |||
| Full name | Sui Southern Gas Company Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Short name | SSGC | ||
| Founded | 1996 | ||
| Dissolved | 2021 | ||
| Ground | Korangi Baloch Stadium | ||
| Capacity | 5,000 | ||
| Owner | Sui Southern Gas Company | ||
Sui Southern Gas Company Football Club, commonly known as SSGC or Sui Southern Gas, served as the football section of Sui Southern Gas Company. The club used to compete in the Pakistan Premier League.
Based in Karachi, they played at the Korangi Baloch Stadium.
Sui Southern Gas Company first competed in 1996 PFF President's Cup, where they were placed in group with Pakistan Army and Pakistan Telecommunication, Sui Gas lost both their matches 5–0 and 3–2 respectively. [1] In 1998, the club competed in the 1998 President's Cup, losing and drawing their group stage matches 2–0 and 3–3 to Crescent Textiles Mills and Karachi Port Trust as they were knocked out of the tournament finishing third. [2] In 1999, the club took part in All Pakistan Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Football Tournament, in which they were knocked out in the first match after losing to Mahfooz Club in preliminary round. Their next tournament participation in All-Pakistan Prime Minister's Peace Cup saw them losing 5–1 to Pakistan Public Work Department. In 1999 PFF Cup, Sui Southern Gas recorded their first ever win when they defeated Karachi Metropolitan Corporation 2–0 in group stage after drawing 0–0 with Pakistan Airlines, it was the first time ever that Sui Gas qualified to second round in any competition. In Round of 16, they drew 2–2 with WAPDA, losing 5–4 on penalties. [3] Sui Gas' first appearance in the National Championship came in 2000, when reached the Round of 16, only to be knocked out by eventual winners Allied Bank. [4] In 2003, the club reached the semi-finals of the inaugural All-Pakistan Tapal Tezdum Invitation Football Tournament, where they lost 1–0 Karachi Electric Supply Corporation. The same year Sui Gas were runners-up to Habib Bank after losing 4–2 on penalties in the finals of All Pakistan Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Memorial Football Tournament. [5]
Sui Gas played in the second division, PFF National League in 2005–06 season, finishing last in their group after conceding 17 goals in 6 matches whilst scoring only 5, causing them to crash-out of the promotional play-offs. In 2005 National Football Challenge Cup Sui Gas finished third in their group, 2 points behind second placed Pakistan Navy as they missed out on the knock-out stages. [6] In 2006–07 season, Sui Gas won the third place match against Bannu Red 2–1 after losing 0–1 to Pakistan Television in the semi-finals of the 2006 PFF Cup. [7]
In 2007–08 season, Sui Gas topped their preliminary group in the second division finishing ahead of Pakistan Steel and Pakistan Public Work Department, although the club finished third in the "Super Six" group, just four points away of promotion to the Pakistan Premier League. In 2008 National Football Challenge Cup, Sui Gas was placed in group with league winners WAPDA and National Bank, losing both of their games 9–0 and 2–0 respectively. [8]
Sui Gas finished as the group leaders in the 2008–09 second division, beating Sindh Government Press on goal differences for the first position. They lost the semi-final match against Pakistan Railways 1–0, missing out on the promotion. Sui finished bottom of the group in 2009 National Football Challenge Cup, losing all of their matches to Pakistan Army, Pakistan Airlines and Pakistan Steel. [9]
In 2009–10 second division Sui Gas finished second in group behind Sindh Government Press, in semi-final they defeated Higher Education Commission 4–0 and in final they won against Pakistan Television 1–0, earning promotion to 2010–11 Pakistan Premier League. In 2010 National Football Challenge Cup, they finished third in the group as they were crashed out of the tournament. They also competed in KPT-PFF Cup, finishing bottom of the group. [10]
Sui Gas got relegated to second division after finishing 15th in the 2010–11 Pakistan Premier League, gaining only 20 points from 30 matches. Despite relegation, Asim Faiz of Sui Gas became the second best scorer in the league with a season of 16 goals, 4 behind the top-scorer Arif Mehmood.
The club was closed after the shutdown of departmental sports in Pakistan in September 2021. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] After the restoration of departmental sports in Pakistan, SSGC terminated contracts of the players of the squad on 26 August 2022. [16]
Football is among the most popular team sports in Pakistan, together with long time number one cricket and hockey. Pakistan's current top domestic football league is the Pakistan Premier League, formed with sixteen clubs to promote football in the country. The first national league began in 2003 and was immediately recognised by the AFC as the official national football league. Football in general is run by the Pakistan Football Federation.
The PFF National Challenge Cup is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic Pakistani football within the Pakistan football league system. It is organized by and named after the Pakistan Football Federation. Initially named as Inter Departmental Championship, it was introduced in 1979 as a football tournament for departmental selections and armed forces teams excluded from the national football league of Pakistan.
Jaffar Khan is a Pakistani former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
Umar Farooq Tariq Lutfi is a Pakistani coach and former player. He is the manager of Sui Southern Gas. He played his entire career at Pakistan Airlines. He was also the caretaker manager of the Pakistan national football team in 2011.
Abbas Ali is a Pakistani former professional footballer. Naturally a defensive midfielder, Ali also played as centre-back. He also represented Pakistan national football team.
Muhammad Rasool is a Pakistani former footballer who played as a forward.
The 2008 season is the 54th season of Pakistan domestic football and the 5th season of the Pakistan Premier League, and was held from July 22, 2008 to December 6, 2008 under the auspices of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
Young Blood F.C. is a football club from Sahiwal, Pakistan. They play at the 5,000 capacity Ali Nawaz Stadium.
Mehmood Khan is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Khan Research Laboratories.
Saddam Hussain is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Oman First Division club Salalah SC and the Pakistan national team.
Adeel Ahmed is a former Pakistani footballer who played as a midfielder. He won national cup twice with Pakistan Telecommunication in 2003 and 2005. He was the Pakistan Premier League's Player of the Year in 2005–06 and 2006–07.
The Pakistan U-23 national football team is a youth football team operated under the Pakistan Football Federation. The team represents Pakistan in international youth football competitions in the Summer Olympics, AFC U-22 Asian Cup, Asian Games and the South Asian Games winning the 2004 and 2006 editions, as well as any other under-23 and under-22 international football tournaments, such as the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
Saadullah Khan is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for the Pakistan national team. He is currently a free agent. Although his favored position is that of a playmaker, he can also be deployed as a striker or winger.
Muhammad Riaz is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. Although his favored position is that of an attacking midfielder, he can also be deployed as a striker or winger.
Pakistan Police Football Club is a Pakistani departmental football club based in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan. Founded in 1962, it is one of the oldest Pakistani football clubs. The club used to compete in the Pakistan Premier League. The club regularly participates in the PFF National Challenge Cup.
Syed Akber Ali Wahidi was a Pakistani sports statistician, writer, journalist, historian and media manager of the Pakistan Football Federation. Often referred to in Pakistan as "Walking Encyclopedia of Football", his work such as history, statistics and records was primarily focused on football and field hockey. He is also known for his statistical analysis which replaced the FIFA's record books entry for the second fastest goalscorer after then second-placed record holder Bryan Robson was replaced by Václav Mašek while Robson's second fastest goalscorer entry was corrected to the first division. In 2010, FIFA offered him a visit for match coverage in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Fareed Ullah Khan is a Pakistani professional footballer who plays as a forward for Pakistan Premier League club Muslim FC and the Pakistan national team.
Chand Football Club Layyah, also known as Chand Eleven, is a Pakistani football club based in Layyah, Punjab. It last competed in the 2013 PFF League.
Mauripur Baloch is a Pakistani football club based in the locality of Mauripur in Karachi, Sindh. It last competed in the PFF League.
