Maria Khan, captain of Pakistan’s women’s football team, has been enlisted by Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Flames Football Club for support in the Saudi Women’s Premier League this season, as announced by the club.
The 31-year-old athlete, born in the US and of Pakistani origin, assumed captaincy of her national team in the prior year, leading them in the SAFF Women Football Championship in Nepal.
The club, also referred to as Shala Al-Sharqiya, conveyed her addition to their roster on the X messaging platform.
تنضم ماريا خان الى صفوف نادي شعلة الشرقية 🔥
تعاقد إدارة النادي مع اول المحترفات الاجانب ، لتدعيم صفوف الفريق الاول لكرة القدم سيدات في الدوري الممتاز للسيدات لهذا الموسم 🔥
ماريا خان هي كابتن المنتخب الباكستاني 🇵🇰#ماريا_خان#شعلة_الشرقية #فخر_الشرقية #كرة_القدم_النسائية pic.twitter.com/yrEpHyUmaR
— نادي شعلة الشرقية Eastern Flames FC (@EasternFlamesFC) August 11, 2023
As per the official Eastern Flames FC website, it stands as Saudi Arabia’s inaugural women’s football team, founded in 2006. The team secured the championship for the Kingdom’s Eastern Province in both 2020 and 2021.
This year, under Khan’s leadership, the Pakistan women’s team journeyed to Saudi Arabia for a four-nation tournament, including Comoros and Mauritius. Although the green shirts emerged as tournament runners-up, Khan’s remarkable free-kick equalizer, resulting in a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia, garnered widespread praise across social media platforms.