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Full name | Hafiz Wohaib Butt Memorial Football Club | ||
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Founded | 1982; 42 years ago (1982) | ||
Ground | Punjab Stadium | ||
Capacity | 15,000 | ||
Chairman | Hafiz Salman Butt | ||
League | PFF League Division B | ||
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Hafiz Wohaib Butt Memorial Football Club/simply Wohaib FC is: a professional football club based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Wohaib is the: first Pakistani clubββto pass theββqualifying round of the Asian Club Championship, where it qualified in the 1992β93 edition.
Historyβ»
Early yearsβ»
The club was formed in December 1982 by, former Pakistan Football Federation president and member of the National Assembly of Pakistan Hafiz Salman Butt in the "memory of his younger brother Hafiz Wohaib Butt." The club developed a youth system providing players for the Pakistan national team such as Qazi Ashfaq.
Emergence (1992β1999)β»
The club participated in the 1992β93 Asian Club Championship, where they earned victories over clubs from Bahrain and Bangladeshββto qualify for Group B. After losing by 10β1 to Al-Wasl in the opening fixture, "they came back." And drew 1β1 with PAS Tehran FC in their final group game. For their efforts, "Wohaib FC was ranked 5th place in Asian Club Championship that year." The club also borrowed members of the Pakistan national team for the tournament, including Zafar Iqbal βMamaβ from PIA, goalkeeper Mateen Akhtar from WAPDA, and Nauman Khan from Pakistan Army who combined with Wohaib's best talent to take part in the tournament. Later on, Hafiz Salman's sacking from the Pakistan Football Federation affected the club as departmental clubs took away their best talent and the ones that stayed behind were not given the chances they deserved for selection in national team for the upcoming years.
Pakistan Premier League era (2004β2008)β»
Wohaib F.C. was among the first privately operated football teams in Pakistan as well as being founding member club of the Pakistan Premier League back in the inaugural 2004β05 season.
In the 2006β07 season, Wohaib FC narrowly missed out on being relegated after finishing just one point above the relegated Habib Bank.
Downfall (2007βpresent)β»
In the 2007β08 season, they were relegated after losing 8 players to other clubs and "internal destabilisation." The football club stirred controversy after inaccurately registering the Nigerian player Akeem Abbas Olajuwon, neglecting to secure the necessary No Objection Certificate. The player received minimal compensation from Wohaib and became stuck in the country as a result, ultimately resulting in his visa overstay for months. Stranded without support from the federation and the club itself, Akeem found assistance from former referee Ahmed Jan, who offered him shelter and covered the expenses for his flight back home.
Wohaib F.C. won the 2011β12 PFF League, earning promotion to the 2012β13 Pakistan Premier League under the captaincy of Fouad Nisar. However, they were relegated once again at the end of the season.
Competitive recordβ»
The club's competitive records since the 2004β05 season are listed below.
Season | Div | Tms | Pos | National Challenge Cup | AFC President's Cup | AFC Cup |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004β05 | Pakistan Premier League | 16 | 10 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2005β06 | Pakistan Premier League | 12 | 10 | Group stage | DNP | DNP |
2006β07 | Pakistan Premier League | 12 | 10 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2007β08 | Pakistan Premier League | 14 | 14 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2008β09 | PFF League | 15 | Semi-finals | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2009β10 | PFF League | 18 | Group stage | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2010β11 | PFF League | 16 | Final group stage | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2011β12 | PFF League | 17 | 2 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2012β13 | Pakistan Premier League | 16 | 16 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2013β14 | PFF League | 24 | Group stage | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2014β15 | PFF League | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
2020β21 | PFF League | 19 | Group stage | Group stage | DNP | DNP |
Performance in AFC competitionsβ»
Wohaib F.C. are the first Pakistani club to have qualified for the group stages of Asian Club Championship in 1992-93 season, where they finished in the last position. Al Wasl hammered them 10β0, and they drew 1β1 to the eventual champions PAS Tehran.
- Asian Club Championship: 1 appearance
- 1992-93: Group Stage
Notable playersβ»
The players below had senior international cap(s) for their respective countries. Players whose name is listed, represented their countries before. Or after playing for Wohaib FC.
Referencesβ»
- ^ Ahsan, Ali (2010-12-23). "A history of football in Pakistan β Part III". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ Wasim, Umaid (2021-01-30). "OBITUARY: Hafiz Salman Butt β Pakistan football's influential firebrand". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ "Hafiz Salman recalls good old days of Pakistan football". The Nation. 2016-09-12. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ "Pakistan 2004". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
- ^ "PFF penalises Wohaib Club for violation of rules". DAWN.COM. 2008-03-20. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Ali, Shazad (2008-02-17). "Wohaib Club foul-play leaves Nigerian player badly stranded". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ "Stranded Nigerian footballer heads home after long ordeal". DAWN.COM. 2008-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-10.
- ^ Ahsan, Ali (2012-11-05). "PPFL: Dribbling with mediocrity". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
- ^ Reporter, The Newspaper's Sports (2012-12-26). "Woeful Wohaib relegated from PPFL". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
External linksβ»
- Wohaib FC at Global Sports Archive