Editing Karachi (section)

=== Football ===
[[File:Pakistan_football_team_against_a_team_from_USSR_at_the_KMC_Stadium,_1968.png|thumb|Pakistan XI football team in a [[Exhibition game|friendly]] against [[FC Kairat]] from the [[Soviet Union]] at the [[KMC Football Stadium|KMC Stadium]] in 1968.]][[Lyari]], a neighbourhood in Karachi, holds an important place in Pakistan's [[Association football|football]] landscape due to its historical and cultural ties to the sport. Dating back several decades, Lyari has been a consistent source of football talent, contributing significantly to the national sports scene.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Hasan |first=Shazia |date=2023-03-05 |title=REVIVING FOOTBALL IN LYARI |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1740465 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230804201358/https://www.dawn.com/news/1740465 |archive-date=4 August 2023 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=In Pictures: Lyari trades guns for football |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2014/7/10/in-pictures-lyari-trades-guns-for-football |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602090942/https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2014/7/10/in-pictures-lyari-trades-guns-for-football/ |archive-date=2 June 2024 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref> One notable aspect is the nickname "Little Brazil" often associated with Lyari.<ref name="arab.news">{{Cite web |date=2022-04-24 |title=In Pakistan's 'Mini Brazil,' football fever runs late into the night during Ramadan |url=https://arab.news/23ya6 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite press release |date=2023-10-16 |title=Lyari kids impress at 'Inclusion in Football Tournament' |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/40268242 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231126081215/https://www.brecorder.com/news/40268242 |archive-date=26 November 2023 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Brecorder |language=en}}</ref>

In its early years, football in Pakistan was mainly concentrated to Balochistan and the locality of Lyari,<ref name=":11">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-26 |title=Rising Popularity of Football in Pakistan Reflects Growing Interest in the Sport |url=https://dailytimes.com.pk/1204028/rising-popularity-of-football-in-pakistan-reflects-growing-interest-in-the-sport/ |access-date=2024-08-11 |website=Daily Times |language=en-US}}</ref> from where majority of players of the [[Pakistan national football team]] were recruited mainly in the 1960s, which is often regarded as the early [[Golden Age|golden age]] of Pakistani football.<ref name=":123">{{Cite web |last=Ahsan |first=Ali |date=2010-12-23 |title=A history of football in Pakistan — Part I |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/593095/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-i |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Ahsan |first=Ali |date=2010-12-23 |title=A history of football in Pakistan — Part II |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/593096/a-history-of-football-in-pakistan-part-ii |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> Notable players during this period include [[Abdul Ghafoor (footballer)|Abdul Ghafoor]], nicknamed the "Pakistani [[Pelé]]" and "Black Pearl of Pakistan",<ref>{{Cite news |last=Raheel |first=Natasha |date=2012-09-08 |title=Pakistani Pele was a 'football encyclopaedia' |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/433130/pakistani-pele-was-a-football-encyclopaedia |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708022827/https://tribune.com.pk/story/433130/pakistani-pele-was-a-football-encyclopaedia/ |archive-date=8 July 2018 |access-date=2018-07-07 |work=[[The Express Tribune]] |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Muhammad Umer]], [[Moosa Ghazi]], [[Abid Ghazi]], [[Turab Ali]], [[Ali Nawaz Baloch]], among others.<ref name=":123" /><ref name=":22" /> The Kakri Ground and [[People's Football Stadium]], which is one of the major football stadiums in the country are located in the city.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-10 |title=Promoting or destroying football in Lyari? |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1774966 |access-date=2024-08-30 |website=DAWN.COM |language=en}}</ref> In 2005, the city hosted the [[2005 South Asian Football Federation Gold Cup squads|2005 SAFF Championship]] at the Peoples Football Stadium, as well as the [[Geo Super Football League]] in 2007, which attracted capacity crowds during the games.