The Pakistan men’s football team on Tuesday afternoon, reached Dushanbe, just a few hours ago their scheduled FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers match against Tajikistan.
According to the details, a bunch of players and support staff departed for Tajikistan following the national team’s home leg of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers against Saudi Arabia.
However, some of the players were left behind as their flight to Faisalabad was cancelled twice, pertaining to a bird strike and technical issue.
Then arrangements were made for a chartered flight but it was also cancelled due to technical issues.
The cancellation of the flights had put Pakistan’s participation in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers match against Tajikistan in limbo until Pakistan Air Force came to the rescue and flew the remaining players from Nur Khan Air Base in the morning to Dushanbe.
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Consequently, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) extended their gratitude to the Pakistan Air Force and Pakistan Army for their “unwavering support”.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Pakistani Government, the Pakistan Army, and the Pakistan Air force for their unwavering support during these challenging times,” said PFF in a statement on its official social media handles.
“A special thank you to the Pakistan Air Force for generously providing their private aircraft, ensuring our safe arrival at our destination.
“Special mention for Chairman NC Haroon Malik for all his efforts in getting this done.
“Today marks our last match day, and we are determined to make the nation proud. Thank you for your continued support.”
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan recently succumbed to a 3-0 defeat against Saudi Arabia at Jinnah International Stadium in Islamabad.
Pakistan are at the bottom of Group G of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers as they ended up on the losing side in all five matches played thus far.
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