Pakistani Footballer Shahlyla Baloch Dies in Car Accident
Shahlyla Baloch was the first Pakistani woman ever to score a hat-trick in football.
Pakistan women’s football team member Shahlyla Ahmadzai Baloch died in a car accident in Karachi on Wednesday night. Born on 12 March 1996, Shahlyla was FIFA’s youngest player at the early age of 7, as reported by the Times of Youth.
The 20-year old Shahlyla used to play striker for the club Balochistan United and also for the Pakistan National Women’s team. Inspired by the Argentinian legendary pair of Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi, Shahlyla started playing football at an age of 7.
Competing in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championships in Islamabad in 2014, Shahlyla was on the scoresheet in Pakistan’s 4-1 win over Bhutan.
Daughter of Senator Rubina Irfan, who happened to be the chairperson of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Women’s Wing, was accused of favouritism for choosing her daughter to play, after Pakistan made an early exit from the SAFF Women’s Championships in 2014. Shahlyla’s sister Raheela Zarmain is also associated with the football team as a manager.
She, on the other hand, was also the first ever Pakistani woman to score a hat-trick during her stint in the Maldives.
(With inputs from Dawn)
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