#BrownMundeOnTour
What ended in an incredible Journey and experience that we will always cherish started off with a text message.
An advocate from Sky Sports dropped me a phone call on the back of our build up of Brown Munde Podcast, the representation of British South Asian footballers or upcoming. A phone call transpired to a meet up with the PFL President and CEO Ahmer Kunwar in which we were offered the incredible opportunity to come to Pakistan for the launch event.
The (PFL) Pakistan Football League is an eight-team league that will take place in November this year and is the first-ever franchise-based competition in the South Asian nation. It is being organized by the PFL UK Holdings, led by its Chairman Farhan Junejo and president and CEO Ahmer Kunwar, and they were both keen to listen and learn from one of the most notable football entrepreneurs of his generation while he was in Pakistan. Michael Owen is the official global ambassador for the brand-new PFL. The England legend, joined by Emile Heskey and Pascal Chimbonda, led an international delegation on a 800 mile journey from Islamabad to Lahore and then Karachi over three days last week. The ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid and Man Utd forward then took center stage at the official launch party. (Content available on our social media accounts)
The Introduction of Michael Knighton
With days of talking with Ahmer, I introduced Michael Knighton, an Artist, entrepreneur and ex Board Member of Manchester United. Michael is a very close friend of ⅓ of the Brown Munde members and has been for many years and the reason for the introduction was purely because the PFL is at a stage where it is to grow and to able to introduce Michael who has gone from owning Manchester United for 62 days to also having owned Carlisle, and with Manchester United having used Michael’s blueprint for their unparalleled success in the 1990s and 2000s, it puts in perspective that the right man was Michael Knighton with all his experience and knowledge in the football world.
The Introduction of Pascal Chimbonda
This is a funny one as Pascal was introduced again as an unofficial Ambassador to be the face of the PFL. To be in this position as an ex footballer and to do PR is massive and with what having known Pascal for over a year now, his bubbly personality and character made me think Pascal is what Pakistan needs and Pascal Chimbonda definitely delivered. Having played for Wigan, Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn and being part of the World Cup 2006 squad for France, Pascal has managed to become one of the most influential characters post retirement having also opened his own Academy.
Once Michael Knighton and Pascal Chimbonda were confirmed for the trip, me (Akeel) and Afzal’s tickets were also confirmed and the brand Brown Munde was going on tour to Pakistan for the Launch Event.
Day 1
Day 1 began with no sleep for Akeel as he had some last final details to confirm with Ahmer and at 5am on Sunday 2nd June 2024, everything was confirmed with Michael Knighton, Akeel and Afzal flying from Manchester to Islamabad and Pascal Chimbonda flying from Paris to Islamabad.
At 9am, 02/06/24, we made the Journey to Manchester Airport to fly out. The Journey wasn't the best for Akeel as he had no sleep but also creating content at the same time with Afzal also with him. Afzal slept and made the Journey with no issues. We arrived at our crossover in Dubai in which we had a 3 hour wait and all the rest of the World Delegation was already in Dubai having travelled from France, Argentina, Portugal, Spain, England, Germany and Switzerland. Akeel and Afzal were hungry and therefore went on the lookout for some places to eat inside Dubai Airport and what a place. Dubai Airport is literally like a shopping mall and we ended up at a breakfast place and also bumped into the Syria national football team.
When we landed in Pakistan, that felt like home, the heat, the smell of Pakistan, anyone that has been to Pakistan always feels the exact same as that and it's a feeling that you can never forget. I felt it. After 11 years, Akeel was back in Pakistan but not to visit his hometown of Mirpur, Azad Kashmir but to create content for the PFL on behalf of the Brown Munde PC. A little story, the last time i went to Pakistan was in 2013 in which i went with my dear Mother, my Aunty and her husband (my Uncle) and it was on the back of when my Father had passed away and a trip to Pakistan was mandatory.
Coming to Pakistan and visiting the cities, we realized that the PFL has already got its name everywhere, from billboards to having schools and hospitals shout Owen’s name and even the PFL. In Karachi, we attended an Exhibition Match in which some of Pakistan's best young talents played out a game or two and from a scouting POV in which a football fan would, they had some really good raw talent that can easily make it through England's best Academy. I think the question is, why haven't British South Asian talents broken into the top professional leagues? Enter Benfica, Benfica have put themselves in a position where they have agreed to sign a deal with the PFL with an agreement to state that every year Benfica would take up to 100 talented kids to their Academy in Lisbon, Portugal. Another rumoured deal that is up in the air is the Red Strike/ Atletico Madrid and PFL deal, I'm not aware of the details but if this is true, PFL have already started to make some big moves in the big leagues with big clubs to get the ball rolling to get some talented kids over to some of the best Academies in the world of football.
The World Delegation
The World Delegation consisted of:
Alison Bender (Sports TV Host/ Presenter)
Michael Owen (PFL Global Ambassador/ Ballon d’Or winner, ex Liverpool, Real Madrid, Man Utd and England international)
Emile Heskey (PFL Ambassador/ ex Liverpool, Leicester and England international)
Pascal Chimbonda (Ex Wigan, Tottenham Hotspur, Blackburn and France international)
Raul Rodriguez (Ex Espanyol and Spain international)
Steve Wood (Michael Owen’s Global Commercial representative)
Adrian Bevington (Ex The FA Managing Director)
Michael Knighton (Entrepreneur/ ex Board Member at Manchester United)
Adolfo Gunther (Atletico Madrid executive)
Armando Moreno (Atletico Madrid executive)
Davide Gomes (Benfica executive)
Luis Miguel Reis (Benfica executive)
Gerhard Struber (Red Bull Group executive)
Thomas Bohm (Red Bull Group executive)
Gustavo More (Spanish Executive and Football Agent)
Adrian Varela (River Plate executive)
Mike Farnan (Red Strike CEO/ Entrepreneur)
Chris Kaufman (FC Basle CEO)
Armando Moreno (Atletico Madrid executive)
Some of the biggest names in World Football came out to Pakistan and had the time of their lives and it was somewhat an incredible feeling.
