Imran Niazi (born November 17, 1986) is a Pakistani former

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

Club career

Afghan Chaman

Niazi began his career in 2003 at

Afghan FC Chaman Afghan Football Club Chaman, or simply AFC Chaman, is a Pakistani professional football club based in Chaman, Balochistan, a border city of Pakistan near Afghanistan. The club last competed in the Pakistan Premier League. History Early years ...

WAPDA

After the conclusion of re-branded

Pakistan Premier League The Pakistan Premier League (PPL; ) is a Pakistani semi-professional league for men's football clubs. The top tier of the Pakistan football league system, the PPL operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the PFFL B Division. The ...

, he joined five-time national champions

WAPDA The Pakistan Water & Power Development Authority (), colloquially known as WAPDA, is a Pakistani government-owned public utility agency maintaining hydropower and water in Pakistan, although it does not manage thermal power plants. WAPDA includes ...

. Niazi won three

titles with WAPDA, in 2007–08, 2008–09 and

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. He also played at the AFC President Cup with the club.

International career

In 2003, Niazi was first called by the Pakistan under-20 national team at the 2004 AFC Youth Championship qualification. Niazi was first called up to the Pakistan under-23 national team for the

2004 South Asian Games The 2004 South Asian Games, officially known as the IX South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 29 March to 7 April 2004. Originally scheduled for 2001, the games were postponed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the U ...

, where he helped Pakistan win the gold medal. He made his senior international debut in the 2005 SAFF Championship against

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. In 2007, Niazi was also present with the Pakistan under-23 team at the Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics Qualifiers where his side beat

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

in a home and away series to qualify for the second round. In 2008, Niazi was named the Pakistan national team

vice-captain Vice-captain, alternate captain (ice hockey) or vice-skip (curling) may refer to a role in a number of sports immediately below the role of captain. The vice-captain may have a number of different roles, including substituting as captain when the re ...

for the

2008 SAFF Championship The 2008 SAFF Championship was held in Malé, Maldives and Colombo, Sri Lanka between 3 and 14 June 2008. Initially, the tournament was due to be held in 2007 but was postponed to 2008. Venues Squads Group stage Group A ---- ---- --- ...

with Zahid Hameed as captain. He was also vice-captain in a friendly against

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

at the end of the year, under

Muhammad Essa Muhammad Essa Khan (Urdu, Pashto: ; born 20 November 1983) is a Pakistani football manager and former footballer who played as a forward. He is the current head coach of Khan Research Laboratories. A former captain of the Pakistan national te ...

's captaincy. After last playing against

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

at the

2012 AFC Challenge Cup qualification 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, he was dropped from the squad for the

2014 FIFA World Cup qualification The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...

against

Career statistics

International

Honours

WAPDA

: 2007–08, 2008–09,

Pakistan U23

South Asian Games The South Asian Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among athletes from South Asia. The South Asia Olympic Council, which was formed in 1983, governs it. The Games consist of seven countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, N ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Niazi, Imran Living people Pashtun footballers Footballers from Dera Ismail Khan 1986 births Footballers at the 2006 Asian Games Pakistani men's footballers Pakistan men's international footballers Men's association football midfielders Asian Games footballers for Pakistan South Asian Games gold medalists for Pakistan South Asian Games medalists in football Afghan FC Chaman players WAPDA F.C. players 21st-century Pakistani sportsmen