Storia
Karachi United Football Club is a Pakistani professional football club based in Clifton, Karachi. It last competed in the Pakistan Premier League, the top tier of the Pakistani football league system. Karachi United uses the 2,000-capacity Karachi United Stadium for most of their home games.
Formed in 1996, the club turned professional in 2013, making their national league debut in second tier 2013 PFF League. The club also competed in the 2016 PFF Cup, the highest cup competition in Pakistan that year. In October 2020, the club was promoted to the Pakistan Premier League for the first time, courtesy of a second-place finish in the 2020 PFF League. It therefore made its top-flight debut in the 2021 Pakistan Premier League.
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Founding and early years (1996–2012)
Karachi United was founded in 1996 by Taha Alizai, aiming to promote grassroots football in Pakistan. The club started its youth academy in 2001.
In 2003 the club launched the citywide KASB League, which quickly became a consistent open club competition in Karachi, and a counterweight to departmental dominance in the national top tier. The team regularly played there.
Karachi United also launched their women team in 2010.
Professionalisation and promotion (2013–2021)
In 2013, Karachi United launched their professional team to compete in Pakistan's second tier PFF League. Registering as a department, they made their debut in the departmental phase of the 2013 PFF League. They ended first in the group and advanced to the final phase where they finished last.
In 2014, the club participated in the departmental phase of the 2014 PFF League. They finished bottom of group C, failing to win either of their two matches. The club acquired its own stadium in 2015.
The club competed in the 2016 PFF Cup, the highest cup competition in Pakistan at the time. After getting through the qualifying and group stage, they lost to Pakistan Air Force in the quarter-finals. In the 2018 and 2019 National Football Challenge Cup, they failed to get past the group stage.
At the 2020 National Football Challenge Cup, the team lost to eventual champions WAPDA in the quarter finals. Later on in the 2020 PFF League, Karachi United finished at the top of group A and advanced to the final phase, where they finished second, and thus after a struggle of many years, were finally promoted to the Pakistan Premier League.
2021–present
It therefore made its top-flight debut in the 2021 Pakistan Premier League. However during a turmoil within the Pakistan Football Federation, the league not being recognised by FIFA, and organised by a faction who came to power after forcibly taking control of the PFF office, the league was suspended after a few months into the season and then cancelled.
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