Nasir wants NC chairman to do his job or go home

KARACHI: Former Pakistan assistant coach Nasir Ismail has urged FIFA not to give another extension to the Normalisation Committee if it does not do anything in the next three months.

"It's good that the NC has been given a three-month extension but if it still fails to do anything solid towards the PFF elections then FIFA should not extend its mandate anymore," Nasir told 'The News' in an interview on Saturday.

He also urged the NC chairman Haroon Malik to come to Pakistan. "I think it's time for Haroon to come to Pakistan and do something positive for the country's football and go for the elections. If he has any security threats then he should tender resignation and FIFA then should appoint chairman from the members of the NC," said Nasir, also a head coach of Masha United which is owned by South Africa-based businessman Intikhab Ali.

"If Haroon cannot make a sacrifice for Pakistan football then he is not fit for the job and he should withdraw. Pakistan's football is in hot waters these days. The government's instructions to departments to stop funding sports teams have put the players and officials jobs at risk. If football teams were disbanded then nothing would be left. Haroon should immediately come to Pakistan and start Premier League, revive Pakistan's international engagement. I don't think he should now look forward to the government to help him as it has taken a long time," said Nasir, also a former National Bank head coach.

"Football coaches and referees also have suffered a lot as football is their bread and butter and it's time to give all these stakeholders relief. Drawing hefty salary from FIFA doing nothing is huge injustice with the Pakistan football," Nasir pointed out.

"We will go to airport in large numbers and receive Haroon if he comes to Pakistan. He will be provided every kind of security in Karachi and in Punjab. The whole football community will back him if he arrives. We will also go with him to court to dispose of his matter with the Ashfaq group," Nasir said.

He said it was not difficult to conduct elections on the basis of the 2015 list. "But one should take an initiative and should be bold. If you do a big thing you need to take steps and only then you will succeed," Nasir said.

"It's embarrassing that SAFF Cup is progress in Maldives and Pakistan is not there because of the suspension. Coaches of Nepal and Bhutan who are my friends tell me that they miss Pakistan," Nasir said.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council has decided to extend the mandate of the normalisation committee of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which was due to expire on September 30 until December 31.

FIFA said that the Bureau took note that the normalisation committee had been diligently monitoring the situation on the ground and achieved considerable progress on the judicial and government fronts in an effort to meet the criteria for the suspension of the PFF to be lifted. At present, however, the PFF’s premises continue to be occupied and the PFF therefore remains suspended.

"Consequently, the Bureau has decided to extend the mandate of the normalisation committee in order to allow for the administrative and legal efforts on the ground to continue, with the aim of meeting the requirements for the PFF’s suspension to be lifted so that the tasks of the normalisation committee’s mandate can be carried out," FIFA said in a press release.