Muhammad Taha | POPO FC | National Challenge Cup | Pakistan U-16 Team | Pressing Matters #57 On the Mic

"Muhammad Taha is the captain and defensive midfielder of POPO FC Islamabad. He has also represented Pakistan's national team at youth level and was the vice-captain for the Pakistan U-16 national team.

Taha talks to us about his footballing journey along with POPO FC's incredibly young team and entertaining playing style that made everyone fall in love with them during the National Challenge Cup 2020. There is also a discussion about the what the next steps should be for Taha, POPO FC and Pakistani football in general.

Edited by: Umer Fasie Bashir  

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Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
1:15 - Taha's footballing journey
2:45 - Taha's development as a player
7:00 - The impact of training with some of Pakistan's best players at KRL FC
8:20 - The massive influence of POPO's owner Haris and coach Shahzad Anwar's
9:30 - POPO FC's incredibly low average age for the National Challenge Cup 2020 squad!
10:30 - Playing for Pakistan U-16 national team
11:15 - Enjoyable training sessions are really beneficial and important for young players
13:30 - The problems with national team youth batches in Pakistan
15:30 - Discussion on PFF Technical Director's plans for youth development and on Pakistan's football problems
19:00 - Departmental model is not the way forward for Pakistani football development
20:30 - Who are Taha's footballing inspirations and role models
22:45 - Taha's big future plans in football
26:30 - POPO FC talk
29:00 - It is not easy to become a top-level footballer; the dedication, commitment and sacrifices are huge
32:45 - POPO FC's playing style, footballing principles and values
35:20 - POPO's similarities with Karachi United
36:20 - POPO FC's National Challenge Cup (NCC) 2020 campaign
39:00 - The pros and cons of having such a young team for NCC 2020
41:00 - Football fans fell in love with POPO FC because they were everything football is about"

#POPOFC #NationalChallengeCup #PFF