Karachi Kickers
{{Short description|Pakistani football club}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname = Karachi Kickers
| image_size =
| fullname = Karachi Kickers
| short name = KK
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| league = PFF League
| season = 2009–10
| position = Group stage
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}}
Karachi Kickers is a Pakistani football club based in Karachi. Karachi United competed in the Karachi Football League, one of the top leagues of Karachi. It last competed in the 2009–10 PFF League.
The club was one of the most successful teams in the early football history of Pakistan, winning the Sait Nagjee Football Tournament in 1955 and 1956, and the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1958. It has also included early football players of Pakistan such as Muhammad Umer, Qayyum Changezi and Abdul Ghafoor.
The club also has a women's team.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-05 |title=MTFA win Shahlyla Baloch U-16 Women's Championship |url=https://nation.com.pk/05-Jul-2018/mtfa-win-shahlyla-baloch-u-16-womens-championship |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=The Nation |language=en-US |archive-date=23 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423104706/https://www.nation.com.pk/05-Jul-2018/mtfa-win-shahlyla-baloch-u-16-womens-championship |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=WAPDA, Karachi United win matches in National Women Football |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/592807-wapda-karachi-united-win-matches-in-national-women-football |access-date=2024-05-30 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}
History
File:Karachi Kickers football team in South India, 1955.jpg state, South India in 1955]]
The club participated in the Sait Nagjee Football Tournament, winning consecutively in 1955 and 1956.{{Cite web |date=2018-09-28 |title=List of Winners/Runners-Up of the Sait Nagjee Trophy |url=http://www.indianfootball.de/data/saitnagjeetrophy.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180928211306/http://www.indianfootball.de/data/saitnagjeetrophy.html |archive-date=28 September 2018 }}{{Cite web |title=Sait Nagjee Trophy |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesn/nagjee.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org |archive-date=16 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220416054535/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesn/nagjee.html |url-status=live }}
In 1955 under the captaincy of Dad Muhammad and a side which included Muhammad Umer, the team did a tour in south India, returning unbeaten after 32 games with 24 wins and 8 draws. Karachi Kickers also took part in various invitation tournaments including the Chakola Trophy in Ernakulam, the Nagji Memorial in Kozhikode, and the Athletic Trophy in Tellicherry in their tour. The local Indian newspapers at the time reported that Umer scored six goals in a single game in Ernakulam as well as a hattrick in Mysore.File:Karachi Kickers 1958 Aga Khan Gold Cup Winners.pngIn 1958, the Karachi Kickers led by Abdul Ghafoor Majna became the first champions in the inaugural edition of the Aga Khan Gold Cup defeating their city rivals Karachi Mohammedans.{{Cite web |title=Aga Khan Gold Cup |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/agakhan.html#58 |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org |archive-date=26 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726210207/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/agakhan.html#58 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web|title=Civil & Military Gazette (Lahore) - Tuesday 28 October 1958|url=https://britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0003221/19581028/132/0006|access-date=2024-07-15 |page= 6|via=British Newspaper Archive}}
Between 2003 and 2008,{{Cite web |title=Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2004 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki3-04.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007130907/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki3-04.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2006 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki3-06.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org}}{{Cite web |title=Pakistan (Other Tournaments) 2008 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki3-08.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007130908/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki3-08.html |url-status=live }} the club took part in various local tournaments in Karachi, comprising 64 teams in the first, where it recorded a 0–3 defeat against Nawab XI in the 1/8 finals.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan 2003 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki03.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org}} The club subsequently participated in the KASB Karachi Football League in 2008.{{Cite web |date=2008-08-19 |title=Football Karachi Kickers beat Aurora FC: Premier League |url=http://beta.dawn.com/news/317221/football-karachi-kickers-beat-aurora-fc-premier-league |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Reporter |first=The Newspaper's Sports |date=2009-02-11 |title=Shahzad M'dan, Karachi Kickers in semi-finals |url=https://www.dawn.com/2009/02/11/shahzad-maedan-karachi-kickers-in-semi-finals/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}
The club made its debut in the 2008–09 PFF League, finishing third in the group A of the club leg behind Baloch Nushki and Mehran, failing to qualify for the next round to promote to the Pakistan Premier League.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan 2008/09 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki08.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602130436/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki08.html |url-status=live }} In the next 2009–10 PFF League, the club again failed to advance to the next round after finishing second in the group C of the club leg, behind Ravi and ahead Hazara Zamindar.{{Cite web |title=Pakistan 2009/10 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki09.html#pff |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org |archive-date=2 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602114001/https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki09.html#pff |url-status=live }} The club subsequently took part in inter-district tournaments in Karachi.
Competitive record
The club's competitive records since the 2008–09 season are listed below.
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
!Season !{{abbr|Div|Division}} !{{Abbr|Tms|Number of Teams}} !{{abbr|Pos|Position in League}} ! colspan="1" |AFC President's Cup ! colspan="1" |AFC Cup |
2008–09
|15 |Group stage |DNP |DNP |DNP |
2009–10
|PFF League |18 |Group stage |DNP |DNP |DNP |
Honours
- Sait Nagjee Football Tournament
- Winners (2): 1955, 1956
- Aga Khan Gold Cup
- Winners (1): 1958{{cite web |author=Tom Lewis |author2=Neil Morrison |author3=Novan Herfiyana |author4=Karel Stokkermans |date=2003 |title=Aga Khan Gold Cup (Dhaka, Bangladesh) |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/agakhan.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140726210207/http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/agakhan.html |archive-date=26 July 2014 |access-date=4 February 2021 |website=RSSSF}}
Notable players
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 Karachi Kickers.
{{Div col|colwidth=15em}}
- {{flagicon|PAK}} Muhammad Umer
- {{flagicon|PAK}} Qayyum Changezi
- {{flagicon|PAK}} Yousuf Sr.
- {{flagicon|PAK}} Abdul Ghafoor
- {{flagicon|PAK}} Abdul Gafur Baloch
- {{flagicon|IND}} Taj Mohammad Sr.{{Cite web |title=فٹ بال ہیروز کی دُنیا: پبرصغیر فٹبال کا بے تاج بادشاہ تاج لالہ سینئر |trans-title=World of Football Heroes: Taj Lala Senior, the Uncrowned King of Subcontinent Football |url=https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-05-13/129903 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250104170831/https://dunya.com.pk/index.php/sports/2013-05-13/129903 |archive-date=4 January 2025 |access-date=2025-01-04 |website=Daily Dunya |language=ur }}{{cite Sports-Reference|url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mo/taj-mohammed-1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418124051/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/mo/taj-mohammed-1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 April 2020|title=Taj Mohammed Olympic Results|access-date=10 October 2018}}
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