Pakistani footballer Sara Khan was the guest on a recent episode of Football Dewane on Sports Side hosted by Abdul Rehman Shahbaz. She has represented different clubs and departments and is also part of the Pakistan women’s team. In this interview, she shares insights into Pakistan women’s football. Sara Khan talks about her journey from playing in the streets to becoming a professional footballer.
How She Got Interested in Football
When Sara was asked how she got interested in football she told the story that she lived in a gated community where she played Cricket with the boys. During the peak era of the El Clasico rivalry and Ronaldo Vs Messi at that point, she and others got interested in football. She was particularly inspired by Ronaldo’s discipline and dribbling skills. Sara wanted to emulate his style of play. Recalling this she said, “I was like, I want to learn how to dribble the ball.”
Sara’s Initial Steps into Professional Football
During the early days, she played football as a hobby and didn’t even know that there was a Pakistan women’s team. Some of the boys she used to play with told her about the under-19 trials. Sara reveals how surprised she was when she went to trails and discovered how different the professional football environment was.
“I never played on the grass. It was a bit hard for me,” she said while reflecting on her adaptation process from playing football as a hobby to playing football professionally.
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Transition to Clubs and Structured Play
During her professional journey, she played for different clubs. She joined the Aga Khan Gymkhana club and then joined Karachi City this was a crucial step in her journey as she says that she learned a lot about the game and mastered techniques like creating spaces, dribbling, and shooting.
Sara credits coach Adeel and highlights his role in her journey either in Karachi City or Pakistan Women’s team “I think before Coach Adeel became the head coach of Pakistan, I was in Karachi City about a year ago. So I’ve learned a lot of things from him.”
Sara Khan’s on winning Championship with Karachi City
Sara Khan was part of Karachi City who recently won the championship and she gave us some interesting insights. The first thing she mentions is that the Championship was not very competitive; there were only a few clubs that were up to the mark. She also sheds light on the possible reason for this in her opinion there is a lack of football competition in the country so there is not much activity so if there were more clubs, they would start their programs and train properly. “If there are more tournaments… all the clubs will start functioning properly.” She added.
Sara Khan highlights a unique positive from the recent tournament, addressing the common perception that local and diaspora players struggle to connect. Contrary to this belief, she shares that the team’s chemistry is remarkably strong, stating, “You will be shocked because the bonding our local players have with the diaspora is something you don’t see anywhere else.”
Sara talks about current issues in Pakistan Football
When questioned about areas of Improvement in Pakistan football the first thing she said was that players need more matches and there should be more tournaments so players keep getting games only this will improve Pakistan football. “The more matches there are, the better…if you want to start these matches early, it will be a good initiative.” She highlights how important the matches are for the players’ growth and Pakistan Football in general.
Another pressing issue in Pakistani football is the delay in player salaries, a concern that many athletes have voiced on social media. Although Sara Khan, who plays for the Army, receives her paychecks on time, her fellow players at other clubs face ongoing payment delays. Sara emphasizes that this is a critical issue that needs urgent resolution to support players across the league.
Some other interesting things
The interview explores how Sara transitioned into playing as a defender and delves into her personal preferences between Ronaldo and Messi. She also tackled some tricky questions from Abdul Rehman. For the complete story, you can watch the full interview on our YouTube channel.
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