PMC Club Athletico Faisalabad
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| Full name | PMC Club Athletico Faisalabad |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Athletico Faisalabad, Los Rojiblancos , CAF |
| Founded | 1990 (as PMC FC) |
| Ground |
Railways Ground Faisalabad, Pakistan |
| Capacity | 20,000 |
| Chairman | Saif Ur Rahman Bhatti |
| Head Coach | Akhtar Mohiuddin |
| League | Pakistan Premier League |
| PPL 2011 | 13th |
| Website | Club home page |
PMC Club Athletico Faisalabad are a Pakistani football club who play in the Pakistan Premier League. They are based in Faisalabad. Originally known as PMC FC for its association with Punjab Medical College, the name was changed to current after the club had a 50% share takeover by Zenith Sports in July 2008 before the start of the Pakistan Premier League 2008-09 season.
Previously the club had survived relegation in its debut season in Pakistan Premier League. It had won promotion from PFF League 2007.
The club was founded in Faisalabad as an independent team. They teamed up with Punjab Medical College, making use of their home stadium and becoming Punjab Medical College Football Club or PMC FC for short. They were largely anonymous in Pakistan club football until they won promotion from the PFF League in 2007.
However, they found life difficult in the Pakistan Premier League in which they suffered heavy defeats. In their first 10 games they only picked up one point, but a 2-0 home win against the equally struggling Wohaib FC gave the team its first win the PPL. The team still struggled until the second half of the season where they improved to the point they closed in on 13th placed Pakistan Railways and safety. On the final fixture of the season, they needed to win against Pakistan Navy, having a game in hand over Railwaymen. PMC FC beat Navy 2-1 at home, allowing them to stay in the PPL for another season.
Between the end of the 2007/08 season and the start of the 2008 season saw great change at the club. A group called Zenith Sports with CEO Malik Riaz Hai Naveed took a 50% stake in the club. Zenith Sports at earlier planned to start a club in the Geo Super league, but with the league cancelled, they decided to invest in a PPL club instead. The owners and supporter of the group are seen at the FootballPakistan.com forum, where they discuss football, and formulate ways to help the sport in Pakistan. It was here were initial ideas to run a football club started.
They renamed the club PMC Club Athletico Faisalabad, a name heavily influenced by Spanish football. The new name and background changes failed to improve the club's fortunes. After a good start, Athletico faltered and quickly found themselves hovering around the relegation zone. Their fortunes changes in the second half of the season, and they clawed their way up the table they ended the season 7th as one of the most inform teams of the league.
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