PFF NC refuses to re-submit NOC request

KARACHI: The Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) Normalisation Committee has refused to resubmit a No Objection Certificate (NOC) request for the national Under-17 football team’s participation in the SAFF Championship, citing time constraints, sources said.

The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) had directed the PFF to resubmit the NOC application with all necessary documentation. An email sent by the PSB on September 6 requested the complete set of documents be resubmitted, sources revealed.

However, the PFF, which had initially submitted the NOC request on August 22, has expressed its inability to comply due to a lack of time. The PSB had instructed that the documents be signed by Haroon Malik, Chairman of the Normalisation Committee. The current submission bears the signature of committee member Shahid Khokhar. The Pakistan Under-17 football team is scheduled to compete in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship, set to be held in Bhutan from September 20. The team is to depart for the event on September 16. The sources said that the PSB has initiated the process on NOC request despite its objections to the initial submission from the PFF.