PFF cannot get disaffiliated itself, PSB tells LHC

KARACHI: The legal team of Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) told Lahore High Court (LHC) divisional bench on Tuesday that Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) cannot automatically stand disaffiliated from the Board.

“We told the bench that the PSB has not disaffiliated PFF and neither has it disaffiliated itself as for that a legal congress is necessary to decide which does not exist in the current situation,” PSB legal advisor Irfanullah Khan told ‘The News’ on Tuesday.

He said that they prayed the court to hold the PFF elections. He said they also told the bench that FIFA could play a role in elections but the world body was not everything.Irfan said that FIFA is neither court nor government of Pakistan and the state laws need to be followed.

Irfan was accompanied by lawyer Muneer Paracha during the hearing conducted by divisional bench comprising Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Jawad Hassan.‘The News’ also learnt that the PFF’s legal team comprising Asma Jehangir and Afzal Khan told the court that a federation could automatically stand disaffiliated if it did not fulfill the constitutional requirements of the PSB.

The PFF legal team presented some “proofs” of the PSB’s notification regarding the disaffiliation issue.It has been learnt that PFF’s legal team emphasised whether a court could give election orders for a private body and devise a mechanism for it.

The case will next be heard on January 9. Because of the issue, FIFA suspended PFF in October for an indefinite period. FIFA has said the suspension would be lifted only if the PFF headquarters and its accounts were handed over to the federation.