Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano will join his team directly in Indonesia after a visa delay kept him away from the squad’s training camp in Islamabad ahead of the FIFA ASEAN Cup.
The former Peru international and Newcastle United player was unable to obtain a Pakistani visa in time after applying under the wrong category, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) spokesman told The Express Tribune on Saturday.
“He had applied himself for Pakistan visa but had applied for a wrong category and when we came to know we reapplied but you know delays come,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said Solano would travel directly to Indonesia to join the squad before the tournament, which runs from September 25 to October 5.
Junior coaches are currently overseeing Pakistan’s training camp in the absence of the head coach, with the team preparing for a demanding group stage campaign.
Pakistan have been drawn in Group B alongside Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines, while hosts Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Bangladesh make up Group A.
Pakistan will open their campaign against Thailand on September 26 at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium in Bandung before facing the Philippines on September 29 and Vietnam on October 2.
The top team from each group will advance to the final on October 5 at Jakarta’s Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, while the runners-up will meet in the third-place playoff at the same venue earlier that day.
