Zang Bazar FC shock tournament favorites Hamjan FC in inaugural District Cup

Zang Bazar FC, a registered football club based in Village Zang Bazar from UC Chitral, has a team full of what one might call “mediocre players” . Only a couple made it to the trials for the Pakistan Youth Squads, but other than that, they don’t have any superstars. However, that all changed on the 1st of June, 2025

zang-bazar-fc-chitral-district-cup-2025-dfa-lower-chitral-dso-lower-chitral-dfachitral

Hamjan, also a registered club, met Zang Bazar in the quarterfinals, and had a stellar squad, including the following players who have represented DFA Chitral’s combined teams in tournament:

  • Muhammad Rasool (2021 Ufone Cup Winner and National Team representative, represented K-Electric)
  • Saqib Nizam (2021 Ufone Cup Winner and SA Gardens player)
  • Anhar (2021 Ufone Cup Winner)
  • Amer Sohail (2021 Ufone Cup Winner)
  • Salman Hayat (Serial Winner of local tournaments)
  • Fahim (DFA Chitral Goalkeeper)
  • Khaleeq Uz Zaman (2021 Ufone Cup Winner)
  • Shahiran Laal (2021 Ufone Cup Winner)

However, there was much anticipation to the game. Former Manchester United Academy Coach Mark Cox was appointed as Technical Director to help with the team. A tactical session was held with the team to assess various gameplay strategies the night before.

The game then ensued. On 20 minutes of either half, KaleemUllah, a marquee player from Upper Chitral, scored for Zang Bazar and through a hard-fought battle through employing Route 1 football, they overcame giants in the inaugural 2025 District Cup, the first district championships to be held in Lower Chitral after it was split from the unified Chitral District in 2017

We can only hope for great things from this squad in the future, and FreshStart wishes them the best of luck in today’s semifinal and hopes they can go all the way

The goals can be checked out here

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *