Newly-elected body gets control of PFF

KARACHI: The complete control of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was on Monday handed over to the newly-elected PFF as per orders of the Supreme Court.

And from Tuesday (today) Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah-led PFF will be handling football affairs in the country.

“Yes, the control was handed over to the special attorney of the new body Sharafat Bukhari in totality today,” an official of the FIFA-recognised PFF told this correspondent.

The development was made on the instructions of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah was elected as the PFF chief in the Supreme Court-ordered elections of the PFF held at Islamabad on December 12.

Initially, Ashfaq-led PFF had constituted a four-member committee for taking over control of the federation. However on the demand of the FIFA-recognised PFF Ashfaq had to nominate Sharafat Bukhari, secretary of Islamabad Football Association (IFA), as attorney for taking over control.

Meanwhile Ashfaq vowed that he would soon take charge and would give sufficient time to his office. Ashfaq said that soon meeting would be convened to make some important decisions with consensus.

When asked that Asian Football Confederation (AFC) the other day turned down his request for sending a fact-finding delegation to Pakistan Ashfaq admitted that it was really the case. Football Association (DFA) Peshawar for seven years. About the elections Ashfaq said that they were held by the Supreme Court. “Law of the land prevails over everything,” Ashfaq said.

Meanwhile the newly-elected body also took control of the Premier League being held in Karachi. The ExCo member of the new PFF from Sindh Nasir Karim also announced this in a press briefing here on Monday. The 14-team event will conclude on January 13. “We respect the courts but also cannot go against the FIFA and AFC. We will not be part of the league any more.

FIFA and AFC have categorically rejected the new body and we cannot work with it,” a senior official of PFRA, working under the FIFA-recognised PFF, told this correspondent.

A coordinator of the new body told this correspondent that they had made arrangement of match commissioners and referees for the remaining part of the league. FIFA and AFC still recognise Faisal Saleh Hayat-led PFF. FIFA has also given time until March 2020 to the Faisal-led PFF with the instructions to revise its constitution and hold fresh elections. And the development has in fact stopped Pakistan’s participation in international events.