AFC monitoring Pakistan football developments closely

KARACHI: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Thursday said that it had taken notice of the recent developments in Pakistan’s football and was monitoring the situation.
The AFC has taken note of the recent developments in Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and has been closely monitoring the situation based on available information, it said in a press release on Thursday.
“The AFC supports the democratically and legally elected PFF ExCo and condemns any form of unsporting maneuver whether this is against FIFA, AFC or PFF statutes, or against national law,” it added. “The AFC plans to be present, as per normal procedure, as observer at the elective PFF General Assembly scheduled for 30 June 2015,” it appended.
Pakistan’s football crisis has deepened and the developments in the last few days show that there are chances that both groups may hold their separate elections.
As FIFA-recognised PFF led by Faisal Saleh Hayat has decided that the elections would be held at Changla Gali on June 30. But his rival group says the elections will be held in Lahore. The differences over the elections venue could create ugly scenes.
Faisal’s rivals held what they called an extraordinary Congress meeting at Islamabad on June 17 after which they claimed they had suspended Faisal and dismissed the services of secretary Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi.
After two days they occupied the FIFA Football House at Lahore by expelling the staff members of the PFF, also including Col Lodhi.
The house remains in possession of the rival group being headed by former PFF secretary and Punjab Football Association’s (PFA) former president Arshad Khan Lodhi and former PFF Director Member Associations and Projects Col Farasat Ali Shah.
The conflict between the two sides aggravated following the controversial PFA elections on April 17 in which the PFF announced Sardar Naved Haider as the new PFA president. Arshad Lodhi group claimed that no elections had been held.
Lodhi group, who claimed to have the support of majority of PFA council members, then held its own elections and Rana Ashraf was elected as president and Mehmood Khalid as secretary.
The PFF then imposed life ban on 20 members of PFA, including Arshad Lodhi and his senior associates. In retaliation, the rivals held a meeting in Islamabad.