{{Short description|Pakistani football club}} {{Infobox football club | clubname = Habib Bank | image = HBLFC.png | image_size = | upright = | alt = | caption = | fullname = Habib Bank Limited Football Club | nickname = The Bankers | short name = HBL | founded = {{Start date and age|1975}} | dissolved = {{Start date and age|2015}} | ground = People's Football Stadium | stadium = People's Football Stadium, Karachi | capacity = 40,000 | coordinates = | owntitle = | owner = Habib Bank Limited | chrtitle = | chairman = | mgrtitle = | manager = | league = | season = | position = | website = | kit_alt1 = | pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = _greenshoulders | pattern_ra1 = | pattern_sh1 = | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = FFFFFF | body1 = FFFFFF | rightarm1 = FFFFFF | shorts1 = FFFFFF | socks1 = 00968d | pattern_name1 = Home | kit_alt2 = | pattern_la2 = _goldshoulders | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2 = _goldshoulders | pattern_sh2 = | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = 00968d | body2 = 00968d | rightarm2 = 00968d | shorts2 = 000000 | socks2 = FFFF00 | pattern_name2 = Away | kit_alt3 = | pattern_la3 = | pattern_b3 = | pattern_ra3 = | pattern_sh3 = | pattern_so3 = | leftarm3 = | body3 = | rightarm3 = | shorts3 = | socks3 = | pattern_name3 = | current = }}
'''Habib Bank Limited Football Club''', abbreviated as '''HBL''', served as the football section of Habib Bank Limited. Based in Karachi, Sindh, the club competed in the National Football Championship and Pakistan Premier League.
== History ==
=== Early years (1970s) === The Habib Bank Limited football team was founded by Habib Bank Limited, one of Pakistan's largest banks, in 1975 when the bank created a formal sports setup and began fielding departmental teams in national sports competitions including football.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - Foundation Dates of Clubs |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/pakifound.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Husain |first=Saeed |date=2025-05-09 |title=The Lost Era Of Departmental Sports |url=https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1145444 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Aurora Magazine |language=en}}</ref>
=== Rise and national titles (1980s) === In the 1982 National Football Championship, the team won its first national title after defeating Pakistan Railways in the final.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - List of Champions |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/pakichamp.html |access-date=2024-07-01 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref>
The next year, the team finished runner-ups after falling against WAPDA in the final.<ref name=":0" />
=== Continental debut (1986–87 Asian Club Championship) === The team notably participated at the 1986 Asian Club Championship after winning the 1985 Inter-Provincial Championship final against Punjab.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan - List of Cup Winners |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/pakicuphist.html |access-date=2023-01-31 |website=RSSSF}}</ref> At the Asian top tier, with former Pakistan international Moosa Ghazi as coach, the team was drawn in Group 4 held in Colombo as venue.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book |last=Bhatti |first=Mukhtar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q3vhOwAACAAJ |title=Pakistan Sports: An Almanac of Pakistan Sports with Complete Records 1947-1999 |date=1999 |publisher=Bhatti Publications |pages=237–250 |language=en}}</ref> The team recorded a 0–7 loss against Malavan (Iran), 1–2 loss against Saunders (Sri Lanka), and drew 2–2 against Victory (Maldives).<ref name=":10" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Asian Club Competitions 1986/87 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesa/ascup87.html |access-date=2023-01-31 |website=RSSSF}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=وب سایت تاریخ ورزش ایران {{!}} Iran Sport History Website |url=http://hisport.ir/showevents.php?id=1 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=hisport.ir}}</ref> This was the second continental appearance for a Pakistani club side.
After the finalisation of the 1986 Quaid-e-Azam International Tournament, Habib Bank was also chosen to play two exhibition matches against China in 4 May and against Sri Lanka in 5 May at the Ibn-e-Qasim Bagh Stadium in Multan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 May 1986 |title=HBL soccer team for Multan |work=Dawn}}</ref> The team drew by 1–1 in their match against Sri Lanka.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 May 1986 |title=Habib Bank hold Lanka to draw |work=Dawn}}</ref>
=== Perennial contenders (1990s–2000) === Habib Bank remained competitive through frequent restructures of the National Football Championship, finishing runners-up in 1991 and again runners-up in 2000.<ref name=":0" />
=== Pakistan Premier League era (2004–2015) === They were one of the founding members of the Pakistan Premier League in the inaugural 2004 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan 2004 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki04.html |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref> They were relegated in the 2006–07 season, but were elected to return, alongside Pakistan Airlines, following expansion of the Pakistan Premier League to 14 clubs.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pakistan 2006/07 |url=https://www.rsssf.org/tablesp/paki06.html |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=www.rsssf.org}}</ref>
=== Disbandment === The team was disbanded by the parental organisation in December 2015.<ref>{{Cite web |title=HBL football team disbanded |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/84884-HBL-football-team-disbanded |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>
== Stadium == Like several Pakistan domestic football teams, Habib Bank did not own a dedicated ground. Hence the team used several municipal venues in Karachi for its home fixtures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=InpaperMagazine |first=From |date=2013-01-13 |title=No competition! |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/778372/no-competition |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Andrew |first=Marylou |date=2014-07-01 |title=Beyond cricket |url=https://aurora.dawn.com/news/1140582 |access-date=2025-09-19 |website=Aurora Magazine |language=en}}</ref> The club usually used People's Football Stadium for its home fixtures for the Pakistan Premier League.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-07-22 |title=Pakistan Premier League kicks off today: Six cities to hold matches simultaneously |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/312854/pakistan-premier-league-kicks-off-today-six-cities-to-hold-matches-simultaneously |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-07-04 |title=PFF approves eight cities and 13 venues for sixth PPFL |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/475611/pff-approves-eight-cities-and-13-venues-for-sixth-ppfl |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-09-15 |title=PFF approves 13 venues for Pakistan Premier Football |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/900700/pff-approves-13-venues-for-pakistan-premier-football |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref>
== Rivalry == Habib Bank and National Bank developed a noted rivalry often referred to as the "Bank derby." In August 2008, Habib Bank recorded their first ever Pakistan Premier League win against National Bank in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-08-23 |title=HBL outplay NBP 3-0 in all-Bank show |url=https://nation.com.pk/23-Aug-2008/HBL-outplay-NBP-30--in-allBank-show |access-date=2025-09-20 |website=The Nation |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Performance in AFC competitions== {{Further|Pakistani football clubs in Asian competitions}}{{legend2|#CCFFCC|Win|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{legend2|#FFFFCC|Draw|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {{legend2|#FFCCCC|Loss|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}} {| class="wikitable" !Season !Competition !Round !Club !First leg !Second leg !Aggregate |- | rowspan="3" |1986–87 | rowspan="3" |Asian Club Championship | rowspan="3" |Qualifying Stage | align="left" |{{flagicon|IRN}} Malavan | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;" |0–7 |- | align="left" |{{flagicon|SRI}} Saunders SC | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFCCCC;" |1–2 |- | align="left" |{{flagicon|Maldives}} Victory SC | colspan="3" style="text-align:center; background:#FFFFCC" |2–2 |}
==Honours== *'''National Football Championship:''' **'''Champions (1):''' 1982 *'''Inter-Provincial Championship''' **'''Winners (1):''' 1985
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://globalsportsarchive.com/team/soccer/habib-bank-ltd-fc/14160/ HBL FC] at Global Sports Archive
{{Habib Bank Limited}}
Category:1975 establishments in Pakistan Category:Financial services football clubs in Pakistan Category:Football in Karachi Category:Defunct football clubs in Pakistan