FIFA likely to take decision on Pakistan football soon

KARACHI: FIFA is monitoring Pakistan’s football matter and it is expected that the world football governing body will soon take a decision.“FIFA is monitoring the situation. Updates will follow in due course,” a FIFA spokesperson told ‘The News’ on Friday.

A few days ago FIFA had informed Pakistan’s media that its Member Associations Committee in its meeting on July 4 had decided if the PFF headquarters in Lahore and its accounts were not handed over to the internationally-recognised PFF led by Faisal Saleh Hayat by July 31 the Committee would recommend FIFA Council to suspend Pakistan.

A source in the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) told ‘The News’ on Friday that the Board through the consent of the Prime Minister is expected to write to FIFA not to suspend Pakistan but help resolve the issue.

The source said that it is expected that the PSB top brass and the IPC minister Riaz Pirzada would discuss the issue in the next few days before writing to the world body.The source said that the Board and IPC have distanced themselves from the issue to assure FIFA that the state’s sports governing bodies have no hands in the matter, which has kept football activities in the country suspended for the last 26 months.

A few days ago the IPC minister Riaz Pirzada told this correspondent that he would tell the Director General PSB to write to FIFA.

The PSB is expected to request FIFA to respect Pakistan’s courts as they are hearing the matter.The source said that the Board is of the view if Pakistan was suspended it would augment the misery of footballers who have been kept away from international action since April 2015.

A hearing of football matter is scheduled at the Lahore High Court (LHC) on August 7. The FIFA-recognised PFF had requested for early hearing following FIFA’s suspension warning.

On February 2, a double bench of LHC gave its verdict following a series of hearings. It was expected that it would end the issue. However, PFF’s rival group requested the Supreme Court to conduct PFF elections. The apex court on April 6 set aside the decision of the LHC’s double bench and referred the case back to the LHC with instructions to decide it on merit.