Pakistan Maria Khan Has Joined the Saudi Women's Club
Lahore Pakistan Women's Football Team Captain Maria Khan has been signed by Saudi Women's Premier League Club Eastern Flames FC. 31-year-old Maria Khan was named the captain of the Pakistan Women's team for the return tournament SAFF Women's Championship last year and under her leadership, the Pakistan Women's team has shown significant progress.
Maria has reportedly been hired by Saudi club Eastern Flames, based in Dammam, for the upcoming season to help to boost their league-ready first-team squad. The club announced Mariah's signing on their Twitter page in Arabic, which translates as "Maria Khan joins the ranks of Eastern Flames FC", "the club's management team in the Women's Premier League this season." Signed the first foreign professional athlete to support the ranks of".
The club's roster also includes athletes from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Colombia, and Tunisia. The club managed to win just two out of 14 games in the inaugural edition of the Saudi Premier League last season. Maria previously played for WAPDA in Pakistan. The midfielder grabbed everyone's attention earlier this year with his stunning free-kick goal to level the game against hosts Saudi Arabia in the four-nation tournament.
Maria is the first Pakistani female footballer to be signed by a Saudi club. In 2014, Hajra Khan became the first female footballer from Pakistan to be signed by a foreign club when she joined SHR Football Club in Maldives. Meanwhile, Maria expressed hope that her deal with the Saudi club would provide more opportunities for Pakistani talent. "I hope this will start creating opportunities for Pakistani players and talent that are often overlooked," Maria said after signing with Eastern Flames FC.