2020-01-26
Karachi, Jan 26: SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School won second place in the Karachi United School Championship 2020, losing to Aga Khan Higher Secondary School Karimabad in the final on penalties after the teams tied 1-1 at full-time Saturday afternoon.
20 of Karachi's top private schools, including Cedar College, Karachi Grammar School, the Lyceum, CAS, Foundation Public School, Beaconhouse School System, Roots Millenium College and the Aga Khan schools fielded teams in the tournament.
The final concluded what was almost a dream run for the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government School team, the only government school featuring in the competition and also the only team against which no other team was able to score a single goal until the final. Earlier on Sunday, they beat Beaconhouse School 2-0 in the semis at the Karachi United Football Federation ground. Previously, the SMB team beat St Michael's Convent School 2-0, Wales College 4-0, Social Bond School 3-0 and eventual tournament winners Aga Khan Higher Secondary Karimabad 2-0 in the.round matches.
10th-grader Bareera Abdul Majeed from SMB bagged the Best Scorer award, finishing the tournament as the highest scorer with a total of 10 goals.
"This was Bareera's first year playing competitive football - she has surprised all of us and made us win several crucial games!" said her coach.
The team also won the Fair Play award for displaying sportsman's spirit and camaraderie throughout the tournament, accepting all the decisions made by the referees respectfully. A special mention is due for their coach Fatima Kiran in recognition of her impressive mentorship, passion and tireless efforts for the team. The school has won the championship twice, in 2017 and 2018.
SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School is managed by Zindagi Trust under their School Reform project. One of the project's core features is a strong sports program aimed at introducing students to a variety of sports to help find and hone their talents and interests and develop them into well-rounded citizens.
