ISLAMABAD: Pakistani footballer Abdullah Iqbal is set to join the Swedish top-tier team Mjällby AIF, with the club securing his transfer from Denmark’s B93 for a fee of €200,000.
The official announcement of Iqbal’s transfer, marking a significant milestone in his career, is expected later this week.
Iqbal, a defender with an impressive track record, has played 14 international matches for Pakistan and has demonstrated leadership by captaining the national team in two of those fixtures.
Mjällby AIF, Iqbal’s new team, has a history of notable players, including Swedish footballers Christian Wilhelmsson and Mattias Asper. The club, founded in 1939, has a turnover of approximately SEK 50 million (Swedish Krona), according to its website.
With 1,100 members in its association, Mjällby AIF had the youngest team in the Allsvenskan, Sweden’s top football league, in 2022, with four players making it to the U-21 national team.
Meanwhile, under the banner of Muslim Hands FC, Pakistan’s U17 street child football team has secured a spot in the playoffs of the Norway Cup 2024 following their third consecutive victory. On Tuesday, they defeated Oystese IL Oystese/Norheimsund 3-1.
Despite conceding an early goal, the Pakistani team remained resilient, intensifying their attack to eventually score three goals and secure the win. The match ended with a 1-1 scoreline at halftime, but Pakistan’s continued offensive play led to two additional goals in the second half.
Mohammad Adeel and Shahid Anjum were the goal scorers for Pakistan in this match.
With three wins from three games, Pakistan has set a strong precedent for their upcoming fixtures. After being runners-up in the previous edition, they are determined to win the title this year.
In their earlier matches, Pakistan defeated Astor Footballklubb 6-1 and Vardeneset BK 5-0.
The team is now set to face Charlottenlund SK 1 in their Playoff A match on Thursday, August 1st.
In the Norway Cup 2023, Pakistan reached the final but lost in a penalty shootout (10-9) against Sola FK, despite remaining undefeated throughout the tournament and winning by large margins. They scored a total of 28 goals and conceded only three during that campaign, demonstrating their capability to win decisively.
Previously, Pakistan’s U17 street child team was the runner-up in the Street Child World Cup held in Doha, Qatar in 2022, losing the final to Egypt on penalties (4-3). They also finished as runners-up in Russia in 2018 and secured third place in Brazil in 2014.
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