ISLAMABAD: Tufail Gul tightened his shoelaces and stepped onto the pitch at Islamabad’s multi-purpose F-12 ground earlier this week, weaving past defenders before burying the ball in the net.
Not long ago, the 22-year-old was baking bread at a shop in his hometown of Pindi Gheb, about 100 kilometers from the Pakistani capital.
From a low-income family, Gul still works as a chef, an arrangement made by his club at its hostel so he can continue supporting his household, but his focus is firmly fixed on one ambition: earning a place in Pakistan’s national football team.
In Pakistan, where cricket dominates public attention and investment as a multi-billion-rupee industry, football has long existed on the margins. Despite strong grassroots followings in regions such as Balochistan and Karachi’s Lyari neighborhood, the sport has suffered from decades of administrative turmoil, limited infrastructure and scarce development pathways for young players.
Pakistan currently ranks 199th out of 210 teams in the FIFA world rankings, a reflection of these structural constraints. Against that backdrop, POPO Football Club, commonly known as POPO FC, has emerged as a rare exception, attempting to build a pipeline for underprivileged talent with little institutional support.
