PFF congress authorises Ashfaq to thwart NC’s delaying tactics

KARACHI: Rejecting the delaying tactics of the PFF NC, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Congress on Friday authorised its president Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah to take an appropriate decision in the best interest of the country’s football.

According to insiders of the meeting held in Islamabad, the Congress and Executive Committee outrightly rejected the way the FIFA-installed NC has been wasting crucial time without trying to do what it is supposed to do — holding the PFF elections. Various options came under deliberation and it was agreed that NC under Haroon Malik should not be allowed to delay the elections anymore.

“If he cannot hold the elections by June 30, 2021, then we will go for taking administrative charge from the NC. We relied on FIFA and AFC and handed NC the charge in September 2019 in good faith as we believed that NC would hold fair and transparent elections within the FIFA mandate,” an insider said.

He said it is unfortunate that the NC did not do anything. It was learnt that Congress was also not happy with the decision of FIFA to recompose the NC without taking the stakeholders into confidence.

A source said that the stakeholders were not informed by the world body about the reason for the resignation of the former NC chairman Humza Khan.

A source said that Congress has given every authority to Ashfaq Hussain Shah and some strong decisions may be seen in the next few days.

“If Haroon did not agree to hold the elections by June 30, the deadline given to NC by FIFA, then PFF will take administrative charge back amicably,” the source said.

Ashfaq is expected to meet Haroon very soon, a source said.

Ashfaq chaired the meetings. The vice-presidents Malik Amir Dogar and Sardar Naveed Haider were also present.

Ashfaq-led PFF had been formed in December 2018 during elections held under the instructions of the Supreme Court. Its mandate is until December 2022.