AFC delegation completes interview process

KARACHI: A two-member FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) delegation on Monday completed the interview process of the proposed nominees whose names were submitted with the world football governing body for consideration for the normalisation committee.

“Yes the interviews process completed today and the delegation is set to return in the nught,” a source close to the development told The News on Monday.Senior Manager MA Governance and Services FIFA Alexander Holt and Senior MA Manager AFC Purushotam Kattel interviews the nominees from Ashfaq and Faisal groups.

It is highly expected that two persons from each group and a chairman would be appointed to the committee which FIFA had announced to be constituted after the world body deemed it necessary to hold fair and transparent elections as the only option after its fact-finding mission had visited Lahore to meet both the factions last May.

The names of the appointed persons are expected to be announced early next month. The committee will have to conduct club scrutiny, hold elections at the district and provincial level before going for PFF elections. The committee will have to complete its task not later than nine months of its appointment.

This is the second time in the history of Pakistan’s football that the world body was forced to form a normalisation committee.The committee will act as PFF ExCo and will also run day-t-day affairs of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).

Because of the dispute Pakistan’s football suffered for the last four years. The nation even faced FIFA sanctions in late 2017. The ban was lifted early last year which enabled Pakistan to return to international circuit. Due to the issue Pakistan also failed to conduct its Premier League three times. This year Pakistan failed to field its team in the Olympic qualifiers in Uzbekistan. However because of the outgoing PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat’s great efforts Pakistan featured in World Cup qualifiers first round against Cambodia. The Green-shirts, who trained in Bahrain, lost in both the legs held in Cambodia and Doha.