Pak women’s football team tour to Singapore in danger

LAHORE: Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has shown its inability to process the NOC for the country’s women football team’s tour of Singapore for two friendly matches because of shortage of time.

The team is scheduled to meet Singapore in friendlies at the latter’s backyard on July 15 and 18.

"National Sports Federations are required to submit a complete proposal on the PSB prescribed proforma along with invitation, computer clearance proforma, surety bonds duly attested by Notary Public, undertaking by the president or vice-president, secretary of the federation and departmental NOCs for arranging government clearance, at least six (06) weeks before the departure of Pakistan team. In view of the aforesaid instructions the PSB is not in a position to process the case at this belated stage,” the Board letter it wrote to the PFF NC said.

PSB Director General Shoaib Khoso told 'The News' that the Board has processed its NOC. “There is a specific time for it. All federations have been issued SOPs and they follow a set practice. Only football is not following it. Unluckily there is no federation in football and NC is running it. It does not know the procedure,” Shoaib said.

“We have written letters four times that this is the procedure. The PSB does not issue NOC. Interior Ministry and Foreign Office issue NOC. It takes time in the Interior Ministry as it verifies through various agencies the players’ data. There is a need of four to six weeks to process the case,” he said.

“NC has inexperienced people and they don’t know how to handle such matters,” he said. “The Board has processed its NOC and now it is not in our hands when it will be issued,” he said.

The PFF NC sources said that NC had immediately submitted the NOC application with the Board after receiving the invitation letter from the Football Association of Singapore on June 26.

“However due to Eid-ul-Azha holidays the PSB received the letter on the first working day,” an NC source said.

The women team is training in Karachi. The team is scheduled to fly for Singapore on July 13. An NC source said that one of their representatives would meet the authorities concerned to address the issue.

“The issue is that we were invited by Singapore on June 26 and we submitted NOC document on June 27 with the Board,” an NC source told 'The News'. “Now camp is in progress in Karachi and the players are so disappointed,” the source said.