Pakistan Navy coach Khalid Zubair Shaukat has expressed the resolve that his team will go for a high-tempo attacking style to win National Games football gold for the first time. The event will get underway from December 26 with Navy to face Railways. Navy will have encounter with Army on December 27.
"It's a must-win event as other services had already won the gold and we're prepared for that," said Zubair whose side mustered 42 points in 28 games of Pakistan Premier Football League 2010 of Pakistan Premier Football League 2010. "We've got a couple of secret weapons and I've told the players, the forwards in particular, that they've got a license to thrill," he said.
National Games reflect the overall standard of country's sports. The performance of athletes during the next couple of days will be true indicator how seriously they have trained for the event. "We will be playing with a quick tempo with Asif Mehmood, Sajjad Ahmed, Asif Bakhsh, Nomi Martin Gill, upcoming Rizwan Tanoli upfront. We've got fantastically quick and athletic players in every position and that gives us a head start, said Zubair who also coached Navy that won the National Football Challenge Cup at Karachi 2008," he added.
In National Games, Group-A is comprised of Pakistan Army, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Railways. Pakistan Wapda, eighth times National Champion who won the National Games at Minto Park in 1992, are being bracketed in Group-B with Pakistan Air Force, winner of first-ever National Games football show in 1982 at Qayyum Stadium.