Wohaib FC
- Leagues Played
- Pakistan Football Federation League 5 Pakistan - Challenge Cup 3
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Wikipedia - Wohaib FC
Hafiz Wohaib Butt Memorial Football Club or simply Wohaib FC is a professional football club based in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
Wohaib is the first Pakistani club to pass the qualifying round of the Asian Club Championship, where it qualified in the 1992–93 edition.
History
Early years
The club was formed in December 1982 by former Pakistan Football Federation president and member of the National Assembly of Pakistan Hafiz Salman Butt in the memory of his younger brother Hafiz Wohaib Butt. The club developed a youth system providing players for the Pakistan national team such as Qazi Ashfaq.
Emergence (1992–1999)
The club participated in the 1992–93 Asian Club Championship, where they earned victories over clubs from Bahrain and Bangladesh to qualify for Group B. After losing by 10–1 to Al-Wasl in the opening fixture, they came back and drew 1–1 with PAS Tehran FC in their final group game. For their efforts, Wohaib FC was ranked 5th place in Asian Club Championship that year. The club also borrowed members of the Pakistan national team for the tournament, including Zafar Iqbal ‘Mama’ from PIA, goalkeeper Mateen Akhtar from WAPDA, and Nauman Khan from Pakistan Army who combined with Wohaib's best talent to take part in the tournament. Later on, Hafiz Salman's sacking from the Pakistan Football Federation affected the club as departmental clubs took away their best talent and the ones that stayed behind were not given the chances they deserved for selection in national team for the upcoming years.
Pakistan Premier League era (2004–2008)
Wohaib F.C. was among the first privately operated football teams in Pakistan as well as being a founding member club of the Pakistan Premier League back in the inaugural 2004–05 season.
In the 2006–07 season, Wohaib FC narrowly missed out on being relegated after finishing just one point above the relegated Habib Bank.
Downfall (2007–present)
In the 2007–08 season, they were relegated after losing 8 players to other clubs and internal destabilisation. The football club stirred controversy after inaccurately registering the Nigerian player Akeem Abbas Olajuwon, neglecting to secure the necessary No Objection Certificate. The player received minimal compensation from Wohaib and became stuck in the country as a result, ultimately resulting in his visa overstay for months. Stranded without support from the federation and the club itself, Akeem found assistance from former referee Ahmed Jan, who offered him shelter and covered the expenses for his flight back home.
Wohaib F.C. won the 2011–12 PFF League, earning promotion to the 2012–13 Pakistan Premier League under the captaincy of Fouad Nisar. However, they were relegated once again at the end of the season.
Ledet av den karismatiske treneren Omer Rauf, består Wohaib FC av en sammensatt gruppe talentfulle spillere hentet fra forskjellige deler av Pakistan. Laget er kjent for sin offensive fotball og sult etter scoringer, noe som har resultert i en rekke høye scorende kamper.
I den pakistanske Premier League har Wohaib FC raskt etablert seg som en seriøs utfordrer på kort tid. I løpet av debutsesongen i 2022 sikret de en imponerende tredjeplass, og tapte knepent i semifinalen i sluttspillet. Lagets suksess skyldes i stor grad ferdighetene og lederskapet til den pakistanske landslagsspissen Hammad Khan, som har scoret et slående antall mål for klubben.
Utenfor Pakistan har Wohaib FC også gjort en merkbar innsats på den internasjonale arenaen. I AFC Cup, Asias nest største klubbturnering, har laget nådd gruppespillet to ganger, noe som vitner om deres evne til å konkurrere på det kontinentale nivået.
Med sitt engasjement for å underholde fansen og fremme pakistansk fotball, har Wohaib FC blitt en av de mest populære og ettertraktede lagene i landet. Deres oppgang har gitt nytt håp til pakistanske fotballsupportere, og lovet en lys fremtid for sporten i Pakistan.