Most of KU’s community centres are located in low-income parts of Karachi, including Lyari and Malir, which have a long history of producing footballers despite being plagued by crime and violence.
Shams Nazeer is an 11-year-old footballer from Malir’s Jam Goth, who juggles school & labour to support his dreams to play football internationally in big stadiums. He currently plays for Karachi United, based in Clifton, some 30 kilometers from where he lives in Jam Goth, but this is not the only a gruelling part of his life.
The sixth-grader has to attend his school starting early morning, and laborious work at his stall of fried organ meat at his uncle’s shop, which follows his football training. He went to Qatar to represent Pakistan in an under-11 football tournament, and wishes he lived there and trained in the gigantic sporting complexes.
Karachi United Football Club is a Pakistani professional football club based in Clifton, Karachi. Karachi United competed in the Karachi Football League, one of the top leagues of Karachi. It currently competes in the Pakistan Premier League, the top tier of the Pakistani football league system.
The club was founded in 1996 and went professional in 2013. Due to the club’s second-place result in the 2020 PFF League, it was promoted to the Pakistan Premier League for the first time in October of that year. In the Pakistan Premier League of 2021, it thus made its top-flight debut.
They participated in the Karachi Football League, a regional semi-pro league. Club also participated in the 2016 PFF Cup, which was Pakistan’s top-level football competition. They advanced to the quarterfinals, where PIA FC defeated them. Most of Karachi United’s home matches are played at the 2,000-seat Karachi United Stadium. Engro Company is the team’s sponsor.
In an interview Shams said, From 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. my practice continues then I come home and prepare for work. I go with my father to a shop outside which I fry and sell organ meat on a stall
It’s my uncle shop and he facilitate me with skewers and Griddle of frying. My daily income their ranges from rupees 500 rupees 700 I think that’s upper limit. I was elected to play in Qatar by local Karachi club where I train
I was then asked to get my passport made. The atmosphere there, the grounds, gigantic football grounds. So tempting. I’m 11 years old and a sixth grader at school And my favourite footballer is Mbappe.
