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Page last updated at 11:15 GMT, Friday, 27 March 2009

Rehman chooses club over country

Zeshan Rehman
Rehman has played in Bradford's last three defeats

Bradford defender Zesh Rehman has turned down an international tournament to help City's promotion push.

Rehman - on loan from QPR - has been called up by Pakistan for their Asian Football Confederation Challenge Cup qualifiers starting next Saturday.

The 25-year-old told the Telegraph & Argus: "I had the call-up but I've put Bradford first.

"I'm out of contract in the summer and I'm playing regularly - there's no way I would jump ship now."

"Although it's always an honour to play for your country, right now this is my bread and butter."

We've had teams on the back foot and if we keep doing that, it will drop for us soon

Bradford defender Zesh Rehman

Bradford have recently dropped out of the League Two play-offs but can climb back with victory at Chester on Saturday.

"The next month is the most important of my life," Rehman said.

"We've got a flexible agreement and the [Pakistan Football] Federation understand that."

Rehman has also backed Bradford to come out of their current slump of four successive defeats and to be in with a shout of promotion at the end of the season.

"We've had teams on the back foot and if we keep doing that, it will drop for us soon.

"Nobody gets carried away when we're winning games and now is not the time to have your heads dragging on the floor.

"We're not that far off it. Every day we come in everyone's positive and that starts with the manager."



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see also
Bradford sign QPR defender Rehman
26 Jan 09 |  Bradford


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