By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: A former cricket franchise owner has thrown his hat into the ring to launch a new professional football league in Pakistan, pitting him against two established players in the sports business who have long sought to establish a franchise-style tournament in the soccer-starved nation.
Ali Tareen, who until recently owned the Multan Sultans team in the Pakistan Super League cricket competition, confirmed on Wednesday that he had submitted a proposal to the Pakistan Football Federation on the deadline for expressions of interest.
His bid emphasises a six-month season with equity ownership for teams, home-and-away fixtures, city derbies featuring two clubs per locale and mandatory women’s teams playing before men’s matches, modelled after England’s Hundred cricket format. “I have proposed a season (six-month) long league for Pakistan football, not a flashy, one-month cash-grab tournament,” Tareen wrote on X, taking a swipe at rival franchise proposals. “This is the model that builds long-term value, gives fans real clubs to support, and can take Pakistan football to the next level. League > Tournament.”
The move comes as Pakistan’s domestic football scene has languished without a functioning league since the 2019 edition of the Pakistan Premier Football League, which blended departmental squads with a handful of clubs. Last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board declined to renew Tareen’s ownership of the Multan Sultans as it extended agreements with other PSL franchises.
The federation, under its new president, Mohsen Gilani, invited bids last month to revitalise the sport’s structure. Gilani told reporters in Lahore last week that they “invited expressions of interest and received an encouraging number of proposals from groups determined to deliver a new and improved league system. As a fresh leadership, we are building something stronger and more sustainable. This league will not be rushed; it will be done the right way.”
Competing against Tareen are two entities focused on shorter, franchise-based models akin to the PSL. One is Global Soccer Ventures, which staged a high-profile launch for its proposed Pakistan Football League in Lahore in June of last year, featuring England striker Michael Owen. “The GSV revived interest in football when there was nothing happening locally,” said Kaleemullah, a prominent Pakistani player and one of the faces of the venture. He noted that the company has sold five of its eight planned franchises. “We have already sold our teams and we are ready to launch,” he added.
The other bidder is Zabe Khan, a former executive with Global Soccer Ventures who departed after the launch amid allegations that the firm had not honored contracts. Backed by an unnamed entity with longstanding ambitions for a franchise league, Khan submitted a separate proposal. “We need both leagues … a franchise league and a club league,” Khan said. His plan calls for a tournament lasting about a month to 45 days.
The three contenders are scheduled to present detailed pitches to the Gilani-led federation on Dec. 29, after which officials will decide on a partner to move forward. The initiative reflects broader efforts to professionalise football in Pakistan, where the sport has struggled amid administrative disputes and limited infrastructure, even as cricket dominates the national spotlight.
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