Naveed wants PM to take notice of irregularities in football matters

KARACHI: Former congress member of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Naveed Haider on Wednesday demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan and federal minister for inter-provincial coordination (IPC) Dr Fehmida Mirza take notice of the gross irregularities committed by the Normalisation Committee of the PFF.

“The PFF NC has completely failed to deliver. I request Prime Minister Imran Khan and IPC minister Dr Fehmida Mirza to take notice of this. Its biased approach and unlawful actions will have serious repercussions,” Naveed told ‘The News’ in a hard-hitting interview.

Naveed, also a former president of Punjab Football Association (PFA), said that the NC has announced NCs for provinces without taking the stakeholders into confidence. “How can it form NCs for provinces without taking the genuine stakeholders into confidence!” Naveed said.

“If you don’t do justice, stakeholders will go to courts and legal issues will be created and it will put football in quagmire,” Naveed said. “It’s time the federal government convened a meeting of all football stakeholders in Pakistan, and invite officials of FIFA and AFC. The current NC should be dissolved and a new impartial committee should be formed to pave way for transparent PFF elections,” Naveed said.

He said that NC has not taken a single step towards holding PFF elections. Naveed said that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should look into the financial transactions carried out by NC as it is feared that a huge money is being spent on unnecessary matters.

“When NC was formed, FIFA’s Alex Gross told the former PFF vice-presidents Zahir Shah and Amir Dogar that no state official or military personnel would be inducted into the NC but Col Mujahid has been included in the committee,” Naveed said.

He also lashed out at Mohsin Gilani for paving the way for Zahir Shah to become the PFF president. “Mohsin Gilani lives abroad. He does not have any right to get involved in the whole process. He has links with FIFA and AFC and he has influenced most of the decisions which PFF NC has taken so far. The government should stop this man from influencing Pakistan’s football. He’s doing all this for his own benefit,” Naveed said.

He alleged that the NC has recruited the PFF secretariat staff without following the legal procedure. He said that the NC comprises people who do not have knowledge of football. “The committee poorly handled Pakistan under-19 team, failed to ensure Pakistan’s presence in the South Asian Games in Nepal last year, failed to conduct the football event in National Games and poorly conducted the National Women Football Championship,” Naveed said.

“The NC sent several people of its liking to Malaysia for a joy-ride. It has been spending lavishly. It is offering huge salaries to people who don’t deserve to be employed. Around Rs160 million was handed over to the NC by the former PFF administration,” Naveed said. He also appealed to the Senate Special Committee for football to install a committee which is true representative of the country’s football.