Control of PFF headquarters, accounts: Ashfaq group convenes meeting

KARACHI: Ashfaq-led Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has convened a meeting of its congress at the federation’s headquarters in Lahore on September 26 to discuss handing over control of the PFF headquarters and bank accounts to the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee.

FIFA has said that the headquarters and accounts should be handed over to the committee by September 20 (today). It is pertinent to mention here that the Ashfaq-led PFF had been formed in elections ordered by the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the normalisation committee will hold its second meeting in three days on Friday (today) at Lahore under its chairman Humza Khan. Humza, who has worked in various NGOs besides having served Karachi United as its football team captain, is expected to face stiff opposition from a couple of the committee members during the meeting.

Faisal group has raised serious reservations over FIFA’s decision to bring in Humza as chairman because of his former connection with the Karachi United owned by Taha All who worked for Ashfaq group as its legal counsel. Taha backed the group on many fronts during the last few years.

The committee has been tasked by FIFA to conduct club scrutiny, elections at the district and provincial level before going for PFF elections within nine months. The other day FIFA official Alexandre Gros made it clear that the committee’s deadline can be extended.

The committee on Wednesday took a serious decision in its first meeting at Lahore, removing Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi as PFF Secretary. The committee members have been stopped from talking to media. Only its chairman Humza can give a statement to media.