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PIA F.C.

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Pakistan Airlines
PIA F.C. logo
Full namePakistan Airlines Football Club
Nickname(s)The Airliners
Short namePIA
Founded1958; 67 years ago (1958)
Dissolved2021; 4 years ago (2021)
GroundKorangi Baloch Stadium
Capacity5,000[1]
OwnerPakistan International Airlines

Pakistan International Airlines Football Club, abbreviated as PIA F.C., served as the football section of Pakistan International Airlines. Based in Karachi, Sindh, the club used to compete in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League.

The club is the most successful club in Pakistan in terms of league titles, winning nine National Football Championship titles, with their first league title in 1971 and their last title win in the 1998–99 season.

History

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National Football Championship dominance (1971–1991)

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PIA team which participated in the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1970

The club was founded in 1958, to represent Pakistan International Airlines in the Inter-Departmental League.[2] From the 1970s until the 1990s, the club dominated the National Football Championship.[3] Their first National Football Championship title came in 1971 when they defeated Karachi in the finals.[4] The club successfully defended their title in 1972 when they held off Peshawar White. Their third title came in the first of the two 1975 seasons, defeating provincial side Punjab A. In 1976 they retained their title, holding off a challenge from Pakistan Railways.[5] At the end of the year, an 18-member PIA team captained by Abdul Jabbar, toured Abu Dhabi for seven days from 16 December 1976 and played two exhibition matches there.[6]

Pakistan Airlines were defending champions in 1978, after there being no football 1977 due to martial law, but they continued to dominate Pakistani football and beat Sindh Red to take the championship for a fifth time.[5] The PIA team left for Dacca, Bangladesh on 6 December 1977 to play in the Aga Khan Gold Cup. In the domestic field, the team also participated at the Habib Bank Gold Cup tournament at Karachi in February 1978. The finals were played between KMC and PIA at the KMC Stadium on 10 February 1978. PIA fell to KMC in the final by two goals to nil.[7] On 9 March 1978, the team played against the Berlin University football team from Germany at the KMC Stadium. It was an educative football as the visitors besides being fitter, planned their attack in a methodical manner, showing perfect understanding among themselves and playing mostly with ground passes beating the defenders on the run. PIA team, on the other hand, besides missing a number of important players played a most disjointed game. The Germans ultimately won the match by three goals to one.[7]

PIA defeated Karachi Port Trust by 2–1 in the All-Pakistan KMC Silver Shield final on 20 November 1979 at KMC Stadium, Karachi. KPT, once a fan favorite, struggled with their aging players, while PIA also showed limited skill, reflecting the declining standard of football in Pakistan. The game was marked by defensive mistakes and poor goalkeeping on both sides.[8] KPT took the lead in the 13th minute when center-forward Ayub capitalized on a defensive error by PIA goalkeeper Dawood Durrani. However, PIA equalized three minutes later through inside-right Abdul Wahid, who scored after a quick pass from inside-left Muhammad Idrees. PIA then took the lead in the 20th minute when Tariq headed in a lob from Wahid. In the second half, KPT dominated possession but failed to test goalkeeper Durrani.[8]

They defeated Pakistan Air Force in 1981 to win their sixth title.[4] In 1982, the team was also proposed by the national football federation to explore the possibility of organizing a World Inter-Airlines Football Tournament, modeled after the PIA Champions Trophy. If PIA agreed, the federation would then seek approval from the Asian Football Confederation and the International Football Federation to hold the tournament, although it seemingly failed to materialise.[9]

After winning the 1984 Inter Provincial Championship, PIA was elected to become Pakistan’s first representative in Asian club football. They were placed in a qualifying group for the 1985–86 Asian Club Championship hosted in Colombo, Sri Lanka and involving the winning sides from India, Bangladesh, Maldives, and Nepal. East Bengal qualified for the next round from the group as PIA finished 6 points behind in 4th place out of a group of 6 teams.[10]

They had to wait eight years for their next title win, Sindh Government Press were the team beaten in 1989.[5] At the 1990–91 Asian Club Championship, the team faced Al-Nasr SC from Oman and Ranipokhari Corner Team from Nepal at the Ayub National Stadium in Quetta.[11] On July 17, the team played to a goalless draw against the Omani side. Despite both teams finishing with three points, Oman advanced to the next round based on a superior goal difference. PIA, the tournament's sponsor, had a solid chance of qualifying for the second round but failed to capitalize on their opportunities despite controlling much of the match. In the 28th minute, Naushad Baloch made a threatening run, though it didn’t result in a goal.[12] He was also cautioned with a yellow card for charging into the opposing goalkeeper. The best opportunity for PIA came when Baloch’s header from a cross by Majeed sailed over the bar. Al-Nasr responded with a dangerous attack, and Salim Juman found the net, but the goal was ruled offside by Bahraini linesman Matal Al Mahlood. Just before halftime, Mukhtar Ali saved a certain goal with an acrobatic overhead kick after PIA goalkeeper Jamshed Rana had been beaten.[12] In the second half, PIA dominated early on. Al-Nasr, focused more on securing a draw, made two substitutions, but were unable to score. Late in the game, PIA received two more yellow cards from Sri Lankan referee Mohsin Arif due to player disputes. In the final minutes, Salah Musyiah launched a powerful shot at the PIA goal, but Jamshed Rana was able to punch it over the bar.[12]

In the season of 1992–93, PIA won their eighth title, when they defeated Pakistan Army in the Lifebuoy Soap sponsored league structured National Football Championship. Pakistan Airlines lost their dominance until the end of the 1990s, winning their last of 9 national championships in 1997, fighting off tough competition from Allied Bank in the final.[10]

Pakistan Premier League era (2007–2019)

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PIA failed to enter the newly formed Pakistan Premier League from 2004 to 2006 as after the PFF President Cup held in Quetta in 2003, the team was disbanded.[13]

The club was added into 2007–08 Pakistan Premier League, as the league expanded from 12 to 14 teams. In their first season, the club finished at sixth position. The club competed in 2008 National Football Challenge Cup but finished third in their group and failed to qualify.

In the 2008–09 season, the club dropped two places and finished eighth, although the club performed well in the 2009 National Football Challenge Cup, as they finished runners up to Khan Research Laboratories, losing 1–0 in the final. In 2011–12 Pakistan Premier League, the club recorded their biggest defeat when they lost 4–0 to Khan Research Laboratories at home.

The club finished their highest position in Pakistan Premier League when they finished fourth in the 2014–15 Pakistan Premier League and were runners-up in 2015 NBP National Challenge Cup, losing again to Khan Research Laboratories. The team withdrew from the 2016 Pakistan Football Federation Cup due to internal crisis caused by the privatisation of the parental organisation.[14]

In 2018–19 season, they were eliminated in 2018 National Challenge Cup group stages and withdrew from league due to financial issues, and were relegated.[15]

Disbandment

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The club was closed after the shutdown of departmental sports in Pakistan in September 2021.[16][17][18]

Honours

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Domestic

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Performance in AFC competitions

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Further information: Pakistani football clubs in Asian competitions
1986: Qualifying Stage
1991: Qualifying Stage
1992/93: Withdrew in First Round
1998/99: Withdrew in First Round

Notable players

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See also: Category:PIA F.C. players

References

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  1. ^ "Pakistan International Airlines FC football club information at Football Ground Map".
  2. ^ "Pakistan – Foundation Dates of Clubs". rsssf.org. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  3. ^ Ahsan, Ali (December 23, 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN News. DAWN. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part II". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  5. ^ a b c "Pakistan – List of Champions". rsssf.org. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  6. ^ Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1977. p. 93.
  7. ^ a b Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1978. p. 112.
  8. ^ a b Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1980. p. 122.
  9. ^ Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1981. p. 116.
  10. ^ a b Ahsan, Ali (December 23, 2010). "A history of football in Pakistan — Part III". DAWN News. DAWN. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  11. ^ Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1990. p. 126.
  12. ^ a b c Pakistan Year Book. East & West Publishing Company. 1990. pp. 125–126.
  13. ^ "PIA to revive football team". Brecorder. 2007-05-12. Retrieved 2024-12-28.
  14. ^ natasha.raheel (2016-02-06). "PIA's football club may shut down due to crisis". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-03.
  15. ^ "The balance sheet". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  16. ^ "Department players, officials remain apprehensive". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  17. ^ "Footballers plan protest to get departmental teams back". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
  18. ^ "Pakistan Premier Football League must be held now, demand officials". thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2024-05-30.
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  • PIA FC at Global Sports Archive
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