# Pakistan Premier League

The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; Urdu: پاکستان پریمیئر لیگ) is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's football clubs. The top tier of the Pakistan football league system, the PPL operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the PFFL B Division. The league has remained inactive since the end of the 2014–15 season. The 2018–19 season was held in between after three years of inactivity, however it was reportedly not recognised by FIFA and AFC, as it was completed under a non-FIFA recognised body a month before the termination of the event.
Since inception of the Pakistan Premier League in 2004, four clubs have won the title: Khan Research Laboratories (5) WAPDA (4), Pakistan Army (2) and K-Electric (1).

## History
### Origins

Pakistan's first top-tier football competition began on 28 May 1948 as the National Football Championship, which ended with Sindh Red being crowned champions. The league was a knock-out competition, which remained the top football league in the country until 2004 when the Pakistan Premier League was introduced. National Football Championship featured teams representing cities or provinces, including teams from Dacca Division and Chittagong Division from East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Dacca Division won two back-to-back leagues, and Chittagong Division won the league only once.
In its early years, domestic football in Pakistan was mainly dominated by departmental and armed forces teams, which hired footballers as employees and provided them with a basic wage to play for their sides and work full time in the off-season. These government entities primarily used investment in sports as evidence of their Corporate Social Responsibility, with little incentive to develop talent or professionalise their set-ups. Similar system was also prevalent in several countries such as the Soviet Union, and was abolished in these nations after the 1960s. The National Football League era saw the Karachi-based Pakistan Airlines with most championships, winning the competition nine times with their first league title in 1971, with their last title win in the 1998–99 season.

### Foundation

In August 2003, the PFF came under new management, as the politician Faisal Saleh Hayat took over. Under the new management, the Pakistan Football Federation phased out the National Football Championship and in 2004 introduced the National League Division A which contained 16 clubs, and the National League Division B with 5 clubs with promotion and relegation.
WAPDA became the inaugural champions, thanks to the prolific scoring of their striker Arif Mehmood, with Army finishing second and KRL third.

### Pakistan Premier League (2006–present)

In 2006–07 season, the National League Division A Football League was renamed to the Pakistan Premier League while the National League Division B Football League was renamed to the PFF League. In the following 2007–08 season, the league was expanded to 14 clubs. For the 2010–11 season the league was expanded to 16 clubs. The two bottom teams at the end of each Pakistan Premier League season would to be relegated to the PFF League, while the top 2 teams in the Football Federation League would be promoted to the Pakistan Premier League.
The Geo Super Football League of 2007, also ran as a parallel city-based league to Pakistan Premier League, held in Karachi and saw record crowds at Peoples Stadium. It wasn’t until 2010 with the next edition that the Geo League came back only to be discontinued due to differences with the PFF.
Despite the revamp and introduction of the Pakistan Premier League in 2004, the domestic setup remained under severe criticism due to the precarious and unprofessional conditions and setup, and continuous domination of departments in the domestic competition, which poached talented players from clubs without any transfer fees or compensation involved. The teams essentially survived on their department sport budgets, with the players sidelined as permanent employees than as professional footballers. Since the PFF had not made serious attempts to lure large businesses to invest in and sponsor teams, the league had a dominance of department and armed forces teams, which resulted in poor attendances, with the best supported teams being the Balochistan clubs such as Afghan Chaman, Baloch Nushki and Muslim FC. In stark contrast, the Karachi Football League, despite being a regional parallel competition, routinely attracted healthy audiences with the highlight being the 2008–09 final between Shahzad Mohammadan and Nazimabad FC where a huge crowd of over 18,000 witnessed the match at the KMC Stadium. Private football clubs are severely strapped for cash and barely surviving a season.

#### Inactivity and suspensions (2015–present)

The league was suspended in 2015 due to the Pakistan Football Federation crisis, until the lift on suspension by FIFA on 13 March 2018. The 2018–19 season was organised by two different federations, and was reportedly not recognised by FIFA and AFC. Faisal Saleh Hayat-led Pakistan Football Federation, which was internationally recognised, started the league and non-FIFA recognised Ashfaq Hussain Shah group, which formed a parallel PFF, coming into power by third-party interference through the PFF elections conducted by the Supreme Court a month before the termination of the season completed the event.
After the suspension once again from all football activities by FIFA on 7 April 2021, the 2021–22 season was initially organised by the Ashfaq Hussain Shah group, who again came to power after attacking and taking charge of the PFF office. The tournament was suspended after a few months into the season and then cancelled. Majority of the departmental clubs were also disbanded following the shutdown of departmental sports in Pakistan in September 2021. Departmental sports in Pakistan were restored in August 2022. As of July 2023 however, few departments reportedly remained active in football, and since then became restricted to the PFF National Challenge Cup.

##### Expected revamp

The upcoming season is expected to include only club sides, excluding the departmental teams which would not be able to take part from now on. The expected revamp is followed by the initial first round in the shape of district club championships, which also served as club scrutiny of the elections of the Pakistan Football Federation in 2024. After a second round throughout the country, the district champions clubs would go through the third round at the provincial level, featuring top clubs of the federating units. Following, one or two top clubs from each province and regions are expected to feature in the season. However following the controversial tenure of the interim normalisation committee installed by FIFA, reportedly a parallel short-term franchise based league has also been discussed.

## Champions
### List of champions by season

For champions before the Premier League see List of Pakistan football champions.
| Edition | Season | Champions | Runners-up | Third place |
| 1st | 2004-05 | WAPDA | Pakistan Army | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 2nd | 2005-06 | Pakistan Army | WAPDA | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 3rd | 2006–07 | Pakistan Army | WAPDA | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 4th | 2007–08 | WAPDA | Pakistan Army | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 5th | 2008–09 | WAPDA | Pakistan Army | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 6th | 2009–10 | Khan Research Laboratories | Pakistan Army | WAPDA |
| 7th | 2010–11 | WAPDA | Khan Research Laboratories | Pakistan Airlines |
| 8th | 2011–12 | Khan Research Laboratories | Afghan Chaman | Pakistan Army |
| 9th | 2012–13 | Khan Research Laboratories | K-Electric | Muslim FC |
| 10th | 2013–14 | Khan Research Laboratories | K-Electric | WAPDA |
| 11th | 2014–15 | K-Electric | Pakistan Army | Pakistan Air Force |
| 12th | 2018–19 | Khan Research Laboratories | Pakistan Air Force | Sui Southern Gas |
| n/a | 2021–22 | abandoned | abandoned | abandoned |

### Most successful clubs

| Team | Winners | Runners-up | Third place |
| Khan Research Laboratories | 5 (2009–10, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2018–19) | 1 (2010–11) | 5 (2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09) |
| WAPDA | 4 (2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010–11) | 2 (2005–06, 2006–07) | 2 (2009–10, 2013–14) |
| Pakistan Army | 2 (2005–06, 2006–07) | 5 (2004–05, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2014–15) | 1 (2011–12) |
| K-Electric | 1 (2014–15) | 2 (2012–13, 2013–14) | — |
| Pakistan Air Force | — | 1 (2018–19) | 1 (2014–15) |
| Afghan Chaman | — | 1 (2011–12) | — |
| Pakistan Airlines | — | — | 1 (2010–11) |
| Muslim | — | — | 1 (2012–13) |
| Sui Southern Gas | — | — | 1 (2018–19) |

## Ranking

As of 26 August 2021
| Ranking | Ranking | Ranking | Member Association | Club Points | Club Points | Club Points | Club Points | Club Points | 100% | ACL 2023 (GS+PO) | AFC Cup 2023 (GS+PO) |
| 2021 | 2020 | Mvmt | Member Association | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | Total | 100% | ACL 2023 (GS+PO) | AFC Cup 2023 (GS+PO) |
| 41 | 42 | +1 | Brunei | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 | 0+1 |
| 41 | 42 | +1 | Guam | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 | 0+1 |
| 41 | 42 | +1 | Northern Mariana Islands | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 | 0+1 |
| 41 | 42 | +1 | Pakistan | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 | 0+1 |
| 41 | 42 | +1 | Timor-Leste | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 | 0+1 |
| 41 | 42 | +1 | Yemen | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0.000 | 0 | 0+1 |

## Structure

The Pakistan Premier League is directly under control of the Pakistan Football Federation. The PFF oversees all aspects of the league and makes unilateral decisions over any changes to the format, funding and sponsorship.

## Competition format
### Competition

There are currently 16 clubs in the PPL. The season lasts during the winter months stretching from November to February, with each club playing the others twice, once at their home stadium and once at that of their opponents for a total of 30 games for each club, with a total of 240 games in each season. Each teams receives three points for a win and one point for a draw. Teams are ranked by total points, then goal difference and then goals scored. At the end of each season, the club with the most points is crowned as PPL Champion. At the end of the season, the two worst teams are relegated directly to the PFF League, while the top two teams in the PFF League are promoted to the PPL.

### Qualification for Asian competitions

The top team in the PPL automatically qualified for the AFC President's Cup until its abolishment in 2014, it was the weakest branch of Asian Football, but the winner of the PPL would later be nominated for the AFC Cup from 2016. Since 2024, the clubs get a place for the AFC Challenge League. Technically, the PFF can nominate any team to represent them in Asia; however, only the team that finished top of their highest league are sent.

## Sponsorship

| Period | Sponsor | Notes | Ref. |
| 2009–10 | KASB Bank | PFF signed a partnership deal with KASB Bank, from 2009 to 2013. However, the deal was cancelled after just one season. | |

## Awards
### Top scorer

| Year | Player/s | Club | Goals |
| 2004–05 | Arif Mehmood | WAPDA | 20 |
| 2005–06 | Imran Hussain | Pakistan Army | 21 |
| 2006–07 | Arif Mehmood | WAPDA | 18 |
| 2007–08 | Arif Mehmood | WAPDA | 21 |
| 2008–09 | Muhammad Rasool | Khan Research Laboratories | 22 |
| 2009–10 | Arif Mehmood | WAPDA | 20 |
| 2010–11 | Arif Mehmood | WAPDA | 21 |
| 2011–12 | Jadeed Khan | Afghan Chaman | 22 |
| 2012–13 | Kaleemullah Khan | Khan Research Laboratories | 35 |
| 2013–14 | Muhammad bin Yousuf | Karachi Port Trust | 27 |
| 2014–15 | Muhammad Rasool | K-Electric | 22 |
| 2018–19 | Ansar Abbas | Pakistan Army | 15 |

### Most valuable player

| Year | Player/s | Club |
| 2004–05 | Khuda Bakhsh | WAPDA |
| 2005–06 | Adeel Ahmed | Pakistan Telecommunication |
| 2006–07 | Adeel Ahmed | Pakistan Telecommunication |
| 2007–08 | Muhammad Imran | Pakistan Army |
| 2008–09 | Samar Ishaq | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 2009–10 | Nasrullah Khan | Pakistan Airlines |
| 2010–11 | Muhammad Haji | Pakistan Airlines |
| 2011–12 | Samar Ishaq | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 2012–13 | Saeed Ahmed | Muslim |
| 2013–14 | Kaleemullah Khan | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 2014–15 | Mansoor Khan | Pakistan Air Force |
| 2014–15 | Muhammad Mujahid | Pakistan Air Force |
| 2018–19 | Muhammad Naeem | Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority |

### Goalkeeper of the year

| Year | Player/s | Club |
| 2004–05 | Jaffar Khan | Pakistan Army |
| 2005–06 | Jaffar Khan | Pakistan Army |
| 2006–07 | Jaffar Khan | Pakistan Army |
| 2007–08 | Jaffar Khan | Pakistan Army |
| 2008–09 | Abdul Aziz | WAPDA |
| 2009–10 | Ghulam Nabi | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 2010–11 | Muhammad Omer | Karachi Electric Supply Corporation |
| 2011–12 | Jaffar Khan | Pakistan Army |
| 2012–13 | Jaffar Khan | Pakistan Army |
| 2013–14 | Muzammil Hussain | WAPDA |
| 2014–15 | Muzammil Hussain | WAPDA |
| 2018–19 | Tanvir Mumtaz | Khan Research Laboratories |

### Fair play trophy

| Year | Club |
| 2004–05 | Pakistan Telecommunication |
| 2005–06 | Pakistan Telecommunication |
| 2006–07 | Afghan Chaman |
| 2007–08 | Pakistan Television |
| 2008–09 | Afghan Chaman |
| 2009–10 | Pakistan Airlines |
| 2010–11 | Afghan Chaman |
| 2011–12 | Pakistan Airlines |
| 2012–13 | Zarai Taraqiati |
| 2013–14 | Khan Research Laboratories |
| 2014–15 | Muslim |
| 2018–19 | Not awarded |

## Criticism

The Pakistan Football Federation has been severely criticized for its non-serious attempts to increase the quality of football in the country. The PFF cites claims of lack of funds from the government, but these claims are largely rejected by players and owners who agree that the PFF was severely mismanaged and corrupt. The league had an "amateurish" setup according to critics, which they claimed did not allow players to develop to the level they were capable of. Pakistani clubs used to be considered as lightweight in comparison to other Asian clubs and defeats in the AFC President's Cup suggest that this may have some foundation. Another main criticism is the number of games played over a short period of time. One team could be forced to play three games in five days due to the congested fixture list. The PFF's attempts to cut costs have led to players becoming exhausted.