LAHORE, Dec 6: The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) with the consent of the National Games' organising authorities — Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — has accepted the demand of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to include soccer in the gala.

The Games will be held in Peshawar from Dec 25 while the soccer matches will be played in Islamabad.

PFF secretary Ahmad Yar Lodhi said that soon after getting the nod of the POA and the organising committee, the federation made immediate arrangements, conveying invitation to all the six teams, besides finalising the draws.

He said the PFF was thankful to all for giving them a chance to field the sport in the extravaganza.

Initially the organisers were reluctant to include team games, which are played on open fields, due to security problems. They not only left out soccer but also the national game hockey.

But after Pakistan won gold medal at the recently-concluded Asian Games in Guangzhou, the POA and the organisers came under high pressure to include hockey in the National Games.

The organisers, at last, decided to include hockey in the Games in the POA Executive Committee meeting on Dec 3, but leaving out football.

The PFF, however, continued to raise its demand through media and eventually got the decision in its favour.

Lodhi said Wapda, Navy, Army, Air Force, Police and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would feature in the event.

Asked if the PFF or the organisers would bear the expenditure of soccer matches, the secretary said though it was not discussed at any stage, but according to the procedure, the hosts should be bearing the expenses.

“Actually, the cost of the event is not much as five departmental teams have to make their own arrangements from their own resources while the sixth team is from the hosts province so they are responsible for that,” he said.

It may be mentioned here that the PFF was not happy with the POA and the Pakistan Sports Board for not including soccer in Pakistans contingent for the last Asian Games despite repeated requests.

The PFF, therefore, had to send its team to the Asian Games on its own expenses.