[VIDEOS/PCTURES] Why isn't Pakistan better at football?

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Who is Hamza Yousuf?

My bad. Hamza Choudhry is not a well known footballer in English football so spelling mistakes can occur.

 

[Dios]

My bad. Hamza Choudhry is not a well known footballer in English football so spelling mistakes can occur.

Yes agreed. But the fact that he is probably among the top 2 footballers of South Asian origin in world football at the moment along with Shamit Shome shows just how bad the quality of South Asian (sorry to group again) football is and just how bad Pakistani origin footballers are that there is no one better than him.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yes agreed. But the fact that he is probably among the top 2 footballers of South Asian origin in world football at the moment along with Shamit Shome shows just how bad the quality of South Asian (sorry to group again) football is and just how bad Pakistani origin footballers are that there is no one better than him.

Well if that makes you feel better then ok.

 

[ElRaja]

How do you explain Hamza Choudhury who was raised by his British Bengali mum and stepfather in a typical British Bengali upbringing? He probably grew up playing football as a child with his full-Bengali half-siblings and cousins and they all probably received the same level of family encouragement.........

saj mahmood, kabir ali, saqib mahmood, adil rashid, ajmal shehzad, amjad khan, azeem rafiq, etc who are not mixed race outnumber mixed race pakistanis.

the only top pakistani ethnicity footballers i can think of, zesh rehman, easah suleman, the nabi brothers, none was mixed race.

moeen ali and munir ansari are the only two mixed race brit pakistani cricketers i can think of, and pbly are athletically no where near significantly better than the above listed players.

im not flat out denying that being mixed race may change your genetic make up to make you more athletic, its clear a lot of young english footballers are mixed race, but i think its a part of the puzzle, not the whole issue.

Refer to my post above:


I am not a sports scientist but whichever physical attributes combine to make a good footballer, Pakistanis, and other South Asians, are lacking in due to genetics and that's why there is zero achievement by this group in world football. This is all amplified by other secondary factors.

and i think what you term as secondary factors are more dominant, however neither of us can prove it either way, so i think its best to agree to disagree

 

[Mamoon]

Yes. Instead of going by appearance or your pre-conceived perception of 'athleticism' or 'physically gifted', just check the record of all three countries in the Olympics.

Yeah I don’t think you seem to know what you are talking about it. Japan is better at Olympic sports than South Asian countries because they invest in Olympic sports and they have a passion for it.

How many kids in South Asia are interested in throwing judo, gymnastics or speed skating etc.?

There is probably no person in Japan today who can bowl at 90 mph with a cricket ball. There are many in Pakistan and India who can. That however does not mean that Japanese people do not have the physical capability to bowl at 90 mph.

Japan is ranked 82 places above India in FIFA rankings, but that not down to the superior athleticism of the Japanese. Similarly, India is ranked 92 places ahead of Pakistan, so if we go by your reasoning, then Indians are physically more gifted for football than Pakistanis?

The respective rankings of the three countries reflect the investment, interest etc. in football and it is not a representation of physical capabilities.

When I say genetics I see people are mistaking it as physical build or height which is not what I mean at all. Afghans and, to a lesser extent, even Pakistanis are pretty gifted in that area but have nothing of note to show for it in the sporting world other that cricket.

That is because Afghanistan is a poor, war-torn country and they are only successful in cricket because of their association with Pakistan and India. Their cricket journey started with the refugees in Pakistan and then they established their base in India.

Pakistan is also a poor country that does not have the money to invest in football. The biggest chunk of our sports budget goes into cricket.

When Pakistan used to invest in hockey, they dominated the game from late 70’s to early 90’s. Pakistani hockey players with so-called poor genetics and lack of athleticism were dominating hockey players from Germany, Argentina, Holland etc., countries with elite football teams.

Do you think hockey does not require athleticism and agility? How come Pakistan have won the most hockey World Cups?

India have won a hockey World Cup but Argentina haven’t, so how come Indian hockey players have proved to be more athletic than Argentinians in hockey, but are nowhere near them in football?

By genetics I mean an inborn ability for intense sports / sports which require a lot of athleticism.

I am not talking about physicality or height. If that was the case 5'7 Lionel Messi would not be the greatest player football has ever seen or Bangladesh would not have a 8 - 5 head to head record against Pakistan in football.

Firstly, athleticism has everything to do with physicality. Your ability to produce acceleration and speed, your strength, your stamina etc. is athleticism.

Messi is short but he is a great athlete. His balance is well above the average human being and he has explosive pace.

The in-born ability that you talk about is talent, and it has nothing to do with physicality. You can be a bad athlete but have a lot of talent for a particular sport, but your lack of athleticism will hold you back if the sport requires athleticism.

Your assessment that Pakistanis and Indians do not have ability for intense sports that requires athleticism has been disproved by examples of squash and hockey.

Squash is one of the most physically challenging sports that requires tremendous stamina and endurance. The greatest squash player of all time is a Pakistani.

Hockey is also a sport that requires speed, acceleration and stamina, and Pakistan is the most successful hockey team in World Cups ahead of countries that have produced elite football teams.

Similarly, India have more hockey World Cups than a country that has won two football World Cups and produced GOATs like Messi and Maradona.

The lack of success of South Asians in football has nothing to do with genetics, ability, athleticism etc., and everything to do with the lack of investment and interest in the game.

It’s the same reason these football countries are not making strides in cricket even though the competition in cricket is far less than football.

 

[Saj]

Perhaps some of the people pumping money into cricket especially the PSL need to be pushed into investing money into a SPL-style football league in Pakistan.

Region based teams - even if started with 8 or 10 teams.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Perhaps some of the people pumping money into cricket especially the PSL need to be pushed into investing money into a SPL-style football league in Pakistan.

Region based teams - even if started with 8 or 10 teams.

I think football would be a great direction for Pakistan bearing in mind the restrictions inflicted on Pakistan cricket due to pernicious influences from certain countries. I have said this before.

 

[liam26]

Who would even watch a City based Football clash between two teams full of low quality domestic Pakistani footballers.

 

[Syed1]

Who would even watch a City based Football clash between two teams full of low quality domestic Pakistani footballers.

Yeah instead they would watch a low quality football match of Indian players )

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Who would even watch a City based Football clash between two teams full of low quality domestic Pakistani footballers.

Not everybody is a gloryhunter, local football usually has a core following in Britain. In the end that same local passion is what has grown English football into the worldwide sport it is now.

 

[ElRaja]

Who would even watch a City based Football clash between two teams full of low quality domestic Pakistani footballers.

this, when football was being established in europe and south america no one had any option but to go watch their local teams.

no one would watch domestic pakistan leagues when they can watch prem or la liga, or champs league.

only thing ppl would pay attention to is national team.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Perhaps some of the people pumping money into cricket especially the PSL need to be pushed into investing money into a SPL-style football league in Pakistan.

Region based teams - even if started with 8 or 10 teams.

FIFA and the courts still fighting for control on the Administration front unfortunately.

 

[Saj]

FIFA and the courts still fighting for control on the Administration front unfortunately.

No surprise really. What a mess.

 

[Firebat]

I don't think there is enough interest in it. Cricket is so overarchingly popular, there is not resources nor space to invest in being proficient at another highly competitive and widely played sport like football.

 

[KingKhanWC]

How come they don’t have representation even in academies let alone senior level? And those that do are usually non league and such?

Most just stop, get jobs or study further. My brother was the best player for his club, yearly winning player of year etc. As he got older, he just lost interest, for him it was far too cold get to up early on a Sunday morning. British Pakistanis will make a entrance into the top 2 leagues of England soon enough. More and more are playing sport at decent levels. A lot are going into Boxing , MMA and cricket but football is growing too.

 

[Saj]

Hockey has now gone down the pan in Pakistan as has squash.

One would have thought that given those sports are not as popular as they once were, there would have been some investment in football.

 

[ddss]

Have patience, there are a few but need a breakthrough star which will open the gates for others.

Etzaz Hussain

Zidane Iqbal

Easah Suliman

Ghayas Zahid

 

[Saj]

Have patience, there are a few but need a breakthrough star which will open the gates for others.

Etzaz Hussain

Zidane Iqbal

Easah Suliman

Ghayas Zahid

Etzaz Muzafar Hussain (born 27 January 1993) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Eliteserien club Molde. Born in Oslo, he played for nearby Langhus as a youth player, before moving to Manchester United in 2009. After two years in England, he returned to Norway with Vålerenga, but shortly after moved to Fredrikstad, where he made his professional debut. Hussain transferred to Molde in mid-2012 and won the Tippeligaen in his first season at the club.

 

[Firebat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Directive by Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee Chairman <a href="https://t.co/U4elGGC8tn">pic.twitter.com/U4elGGC8tn</a></p>— Pakistan Football Federation (@PakistanFF) <a href="https://twitter.com/PakistanFF/status/1341773196954054659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 23, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[endymion248]

Football isn't a good cultural fit. You have to run and put in effort. In cricket, you can be the 40 yo overweight uncle who is the captain because he is a senior and who only comes out to bat. You sometimes find overweight players in Sunday league matches but they're almost always a burden on their team even if they have good technique and a killer shot. Tactical discipline is everything, even at amateur and youth levels. There is nothing more frustrating than playing with somebody who won't do the dirty work and run when the match is on the line. You can get away with that laziness in cricket.

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1615059/nc-chief-haroon-breaks-through-glass-panel-to-flee-as-pff-hq-attacked-by-ashfaq-group

Haroon Malik said he felt so threatened and intimidated he had to break through a glass panel to escape the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters in Lahore on Saturday.

The FIFA-appointed PFF Normalisation Committee chairman and his staff had been cornered for more than an hour by some of the football officials who were elected during a poll held by the Supreme Court in December 2018.

Then, there was another version of the story.

Ashfaq Hussain Shah, who became president in that Supreme Court election which wasn’t recognised by FIFA, had led a delegation of officials to the PFF headquarters demanding that the PFF NC hand back control of the headquarters which they had handed over to former chairman Humza Khan when the NC was first installed by FIFA in September 2019.

Ashfaq claimed that the glass was broken by Haroon as a reaction after he handed over charge of the headquarters.

Saturday’s events, though, are the latest in a series of grim happenings that have afflicted Pakistan football for the best part of the last decade.

How global football body FIFA reacts to this remains to be seen. Since having appointed the PFF NC, FIFA has come close to banning Pakistan several times due to the hindrances caused by football officials in the country in the working of the committee.

Those hindrances have been court cases and lack of cooperation but Saturday was the first time that the NC was directly attacked.

“As the FIFA representative to Pakistan, I will try my best to ensure that Pakistan isn’t suspended,” Haroon told Dawn in the aftermath of the attack. “This is a sad day for Pakistan football.

“I tried to have a dialogue with the group of officials led by Ashfaq Shah but they were in no mood to talk. They stormed into my office in the afternoon but things escalated when I brought them to the auditorium for talks.

“They demanded that I hand over charge at that very moment and even when I tried to remind them of the repercussions their moves would have, they said they didn’t care.

“When I told them that I was going to refuse their request, they started getting even more aggressive, demanding that I hand over cheque books and control of accounts. As I felt physically threatened, I had no other option but to break through the glass pane near the entrance of the PFF headquarters and leave the scene.”

The forced takeover of the PFF headquarters had been on the cards for the last several days. Last week, Sardar Naveed Haider Khan, a vice-president of the Ashfaq body, had threatened that they would seize the headquarters if the PFF NC would not expedite the PFF election process.

The PFF NC has a mandate till June 30 to hold elections but Dawn exclusively revealed that the deadline to hold elections is likely to be extended with FIFA rather looking to clean up Pakistan football first before the polls.

The Ashfaq group held a congress meeting of the Supreme Court-elected body in Islamabad on Thursday and it was decided then that the body would try to regain control of the PFF headquarters.

“The Pakistan Football Federation office was attacked in Lahore by Ashfaq Shah and his group,” a PFF spokesperson said. Sardar Naveed Haider Khan was also present with the attackers. OFF staff physically harassed and were held hostage. The group has taken over the PFF House.”

Ashfaq’s group has split into two factions since the NC was appointed with the other faction led by Zahir Ali Shah. Yet despite Zahir’s officials not taking part in the Congress, the Ashfaq group contested that it had the necessary quorum to empower Ashfaq to demand the hand over of the PFF House.

The takeover also has a hint of government interference into the matters of the PFF as its vice-president Amir Dogar is an assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on political affairs. The Ashfaq group had earlier this month also met with Minister for Inter-provincial Coordination Fehmida Mirza.

“There was no use of violence and we amicably took over control of the PFF headquarters,” Ashfaq told Dawn. “The glass panel broke when Haroon hit it in frustration after handing over the charge.”

Ashfaq said that his group has had enough of inaction from FIFA regarding the election process.

“The NC has been in place for a year and a half but there has been no progress whatsoever,” he claimed. “It was only wasting funds given by FIFA.”

He was adamant that FIFA’s support didn’t matter.

“That’s not an issue for us,” Ashfaq said. “To move forward, we have to put domestic football on track even if there is no international football. We will put football on the right track … we will bring upon a revolution.”

In their meeting on Thursday, Ashfaq’s group had raised concerns about Humza’s tenure as PFF NC chairman.

Humza resigned from the post in December with FIFA appointing Munir Sadhana as the acting chairman before Haroon’s appointment.

Sadhana had been nominated to NC by the third group vying for control of the PFF led by former PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat, who was for long recognised as the country’s football chief by FIFA despite a controversial election in 2015.

Sadhana undid all the decisions taken by Humza and earlier this month he was removed from the PFF NC, meaning none of the members originally named in September 2019 remain on the NC.

 

[Saj]

The interest in football in Pakistan seems big, so it surprises me that Pakistan has not been able to improve in the sport.

A lack of investment seems to be one of the major problems. A proper league set-up is missing too and those who are running the sport seem to be rather clueless.

 

[OldWarHorse]

The interest in football in Pakistan seems big, so it surprises me that Pakistan has not been able to improve in the sport.

A lack of investment seems to be one of the major problems. A proper league set-up is missing too and those who are running the sport seem to be rather clueless.

Pakistan used to get funds through the FIFA goal project like most of South Asia but guess the money was used up by federation in lining up their own pockets.

The league hasnt developed at all...does it even run nowadays?? They hardly play any games for their national team. Ideally should be as good as Afghanistan..similar physical playing style with some European diaspora mixed in.

 

[MenInG]

At around 1900 hrs on March 27, 2021, a message appeared from one of the spokesmen on the PFF’s WhatsApp group that the headquarters in Lahore was attacked by ‘Ashfaq Shah and his group’ and that they have taken control of the building.

A few hours later, it was also announced that the ongoing 2021 National Women’s Football Championship ‘has been cancelled’.

Following those events, athletes as well supporters of football in Pakistan are fearing the worst and many of them are expecting tough sanctions from the game’s governing body: FIFA.

SAMAA Digital contacted head of the Normalisation Committee Malik Haroon to ask about the reasons that led to these unprecedented events that have shocked the football fraternity in Pakistan.

SAMAA Sports: When did you take charge of the PFF?

Malik Haroon: I took charge of the office on January 20, 2021 as the head of Normalisation Committee. What happened during the reign of Humza Khan (head of the NC from September 2019), he knows better but there was a caretaker to run daily activities from the time he resigned till the time I took charge and he reversed all the changes made since 2019. So we were back to ground zero again.

SAMAA Sports: What was your mandate from FIFA?

Malik Haroon: I had a five-pointer mandate from FIFA which included the continuation of day-to-day activities, registration of football clubs and the last two were about conducting free and fair elections in the Pakistan Football Federation.

From the last month, we have repeatedly informed the media that the electoral process will be revealed in April after which the candidates will be able to register themselves and the voting will be conducted after making FIFA Connect IDs.

SAMAA Sports: Had you met Ashfaq Shah before?

Malik Haroon: Yes, I had already met the people who were leading the attack and a hostile takeover of PFF House on Saturday.

SAMAA Sports: Did they have any reservations with the way you were running PFF?

Malik Haroon: Yes. They had two major reservations with the way I was dealing with things. The first was about why I decided to spend Rs25 million on a tournament for Women’s Football. They believe that payment is unjustified.

I told them the amount being invested in girls football is extremely low and these athletes deserve better. If you break down the expenses, these girls are living in Karachi at a daily expense of Rs613. I am sure most of us have a far more expensive cup of tea than that.

Secondly, they wanted me to conduct the elections based on registrations that took place in 2015. I looked in detail as to why there is so much emphasis on conducting elections in such a manner. There, I found out that the whole process looked flawed. The province where football is the most popular sport—Balochistan—only had 16 of the 33 districts registered.

Under the laws of 2015, it was so easy to become the head of a district which then empowers those same individuals to make a call on club registration based on nepotism.

Those kinds of laws should not be acceptable and I told them that the next elections will not be going to take place with such a flawed system.

SAMAA Sports: What happened on Saturday, March 27, 2021?

Malik Haroon: On that day, a group led by Ashfaq stormed into my room. I took them out and we sat in a conference room. I asked them what is the problem and they said that I should hand over charge and leave. I told them that it does not work like this. FIFA will not approve them. They responded that they did not care. You give us the bank account details and leave. We will take care of the matters with FIFA as well.

I was like, give me three to four days to figure out a way, and they were like, no, enough is enough. We have waited long enough. I came back to my room to call my lawyer but Ashfaq and his people entered my room and asked whether I was going to do what they are asking me or not.

I again tried to have a word with them and make them understand that FIFA will not allow this but in the meantime, more people entered my room and started harassing me.

SAMAA Sports: How did you leave the building?

Malik Haroon: I felt threatened for my life and that’s when I decided to take my bag and leave. I asked my finance director to come and leave with me but he said that people are already searching his room’s cabinets to figure out where the cheque books were.

When we decided to leave together, the Ashfaq Shah-led group physically stopped my finance director. They were also asking me to stop but I did not listen to them. I came down and saw the glass gate being chained up so no one could open it. Fortunately, there was a brick which we used to stop the gate from closing on itself. I used that to break the glass and leave the building premises.

SAMAA Sports: When did you call the police to handle the situation?

Malik Haroon: We called them at the first instance when they [Ashfaq Shah-led group] harassed one of our employees. Once I left the building, my lawyers and the police helped us in getting all the employees out of the building safely. The whole process took about two hours. But in the meantime, the protestors took away the laptop, tablets, even headphones of our employees.

SAMAA Sports: What kind of response are you expecting from FIFA?

Malik Haroon: I am expecting a strong statement from them in the coming days. We have already communicated to FIFA that it is our internal matter and we are trying to solve it locally because if we cannot convince the body about that, Pakistan football might face severe consequences. But I am sure FIFA will ban the individuals who are behind this unprecedented attack.

SAMAA Sports: Has anyone contacted you from the highest level?

Malik Haroon: Surprisingly, no one has contacted me or any of our staff members. Not from the Punjab government or the federal government. It is really sad.

 

[MenInG]

Karachi: Football’s governing body FIFA has warned Syed Ashfaq-led group to return Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) headquarters to the Normalisation Committee (NC) after they forcefully took charge on Saturday afternoon.

FIFA can suspend PFF if the illegal possession of the headquarters, also known as ‘FIFA House’ is not lifted by Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 20:00 (Lahore time).

In case of non-compliance by the illegal occupants, “the matter shall be immediately submitted to the Bureau of the Council for decision, which might include the suspension of PFF on the basis of art. 16 par. 1 of the FIFA Statutes,” FIFA said in an letter addressed to PFF Normalisation Committee Chairman Mr. Haroon Malik.

FIFA was disturbed with the happenings that took place at the PFF headquarters where reportedly NC Chairman Haroon and his men were tortured.

“While FIFA strongly condemns the incidents and considers such actions to be totally unacceptable, we would like to remind all relevant parties, in particular the individuals who invaded the PFF premises, that the Normalisation Committee of PFF, established by a decision of the Bureau of the Council and later ratified by the FIFA Council, and which is currently led by your person, is the sole executive body of PFF recognised by FIFA,” read the letter.

FIFA also informed that the meeting held on March 26 by certain members of the PFF and during which a decision was taken to hand over the leadership of the PFF to Syed Ashfaq Hussain holds no value and it will be considered an ‘undue interferance’ in the affairs of PFF.

FIFA further added that in case of suspension, PFF will lose all of its membership rights, as defined in art. 13 of the FIFA Statutes, with immediate effect and until further notice.

PFF’s national team or any other clubs won’t be allowed to participate in any international competitions. PFF and its members will also lose benefit from FIFA’s financial/development programmes.

ARY

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan has no sporting talent.

We have put all our eggs in the cricket basket and yet we are struggling to produce talent. In cricket we have always been the least talented nation.

Our success in hockey and squash in the past were anomalies.

As far as football is concerned, it is not about physical ability but the lack of footballing intelligence and technique. That requires a lot of talent which we will never have.

 

[Firebat]

Pakistan football stares at long ban from FIFA

KARACHI: Pakistan football is staring at a long-term ban from the FIFA after a forced take over of the national federation headquarters in Lahore by a group which won the last elections but was annulled by the world governing body of the sport.

The world body has now given until Wednesday for the PFF group, led by Ashfaq Hussain, to vacate the Football House and give its control back to the FIFA Normalization Committee headed by Haroon Malik.

“If the government's sports minister does not intervene and resolve this issue Pakistan football could be banned for a very long time from all international competitions,” a member of the normalization committee said on Tuesday.

He said if FIFA imposes a ban, the PFF will not get any fund from the world body, leaving the sport in the country in a financial mess and development projects on hold.

Pakistan football has been in turmoil for the last three years ever since it was reported that government officials had started interfering in the affairs of the national federation.

FIFA had appointed a Normalization Committee in 2019 to hold elections after a long drawn out dispute between opposing groups in the PFF and a number of court cases.

Interestingly, politics came to the fore even in the Normalization Committee and a new set-up was announced by FIFA late last year to hold elections by June 2021.

But last Saturday, things went out of control as a PFF group, led by Ashfaq Hussain, broke in and forcibly took over the Football House in Lahore.

According to sources, they also manhandled and harassed the staff, kept them under forcible confinement and took personal belongings and items by force.

According to the FIFA-appointed Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee, all these actions were illegal and could lead to a long term ban on Pakistan football.

Ashfaq Hussain told a newspaper that he didn't care about any FIFA ban but only about reviving the game in Pakistan.

He also complained that the Normalization Committee had failed to hold elections on time and their members were involved in politics.

Haroon Malik, who heads the Normalization Committee, made it clear that FIFA only recognises them.

Soon after taking over the Football House, the Ashfaq group announced postponement of the National Women's Championships being held in Karachi and said it would be resumed under a new management and organizing committee.

A number of leading women players have voiced their concern over the damage being caused to Pakistan football.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com...n-from-fifa/articleshow/81761806.cms?from=mdr

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The interest in football in Pakistan seems big, so it surprises me that Pakistan has not been able to improve in the sport.

A lack of investment seems to be one of the major problems. A proper league set-up is missing too and those who are running the sport seem to be rather clueless.

Even those who play football for enjoyment in Pakistan don't really understand it, I don't think they watch it with the intensity we do in the UK where we analyse different playing styles and methods. It's immensely well organised in the UK with local leagues who have teams that run training sessions. My brother is a coach at a fairly high level in local league in his spare time, it's unimaginable that we would see that level of organisation in Pakistan. From what I've seen in Pakistan it's more just kids kicking a ball around on the street, and even then it's not played that much I expect because of the weather.

 

[Local.Dada]

Even those who play football for enjoyment in Pakistan don't really understand it, I don't think they watch it with the intensity we do in the UK where we analyse different playing styles and methods. It's immensely well organised in the UK with local leagues who have teams that run training sessions. My brother is a coach at a fairly high level in local league in his spare time, it's unimaginable that we would see that level of organisation in Pakistan. From what I've seen in Pakistan it's more just kids kicking a ball around on the street, and even then it's not played that much I expect because of the weather.

Not a dig but why don’t we see British Pakistanis in Soccer? There are quiet a few in cricket and in entertainment industry aren’t they, so it couldn’t be because of religious taboos etc.

 

[KillerBee]

Pakistan is a nation that loves football, but why is it not producing good players, qualifying for World Cups or its players playing in the best leagues around the world?

What's going wrong?

Your first statement is literally wrong, we are not a nation that loves football. We are a nation that is only crazy about cricket.

 

[Saj]

Your first statement is literally wrong, we are not a nation that loves football. We are a nation that is only crazy about cricket.

I disagree.

Cricket is very popular, but there are a lot of football fans in Pakistan. In fact some teams like Liverpool even have fan clubs in the country.

 

[Saj]

Seems like another power struggle in Pakistan football.

What an absolute shambles. Get it sorted out, get the sport back up and running in the country and sort out a proper league set up.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Not a dig but why don’t we see British Pakistanis in Soccer? There are quiet a few in cricket and in entertainment industry aren’t they, so it couldn’t be because of religious taboos etc.

I probably explained this already in an earlier reply, but Pakistani families - and Indian too for that matter - don't really consider sports as a viable career. Kids are encouraged to go into professions like law or medicine or start a business. There are still relatively less Pakistanis in arts as well even compared to Pakistan. Still mired deeply in immigrant mindset I would say, this will probably change over the coming generations. We are starting to see desis in a lot more diverse fields these days.

 

[ChTab]

I disagree.

Cricket is very popular, but there are a lot of football fans in Pakistan. In fact some teams like Liverpool even have fan clubs in the country.

I've been watching club football passionately for the past 10-15 years, not only Liverpool there are plenty of clubs that have a really good following on Facebook.

Real Madrid, Barcelona had very strong followings a few years back, both of these pages had around 300,000 followers, but then their pages were blocked by FB due to some reasons they are growing it back since then.

Even a club Like Man city has a strong Pakistani following on FB, they have around 60K followers on FB.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Fehmida Mirza urged FIFA to give some time to resolve the two-party dispute for Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s charge.

Speaking to reporters on this matter, the federal minister said that Pakistani footballers will suffer if FIFA puts a ban once again.

“FIFA should give us some time to resolve this matter. Putting a ban will let footballers suffer once again,” she said.

Fehmida shared that she has contacted both the in-dispute parties and asked them to resolve this issue internally for the sake of football in Pakistan. “I have contacted both the parties and asked them to settle this issue through dialogues. I assure you that the group which took charge of PFF has nothing to do with the government. They had to respect FIFA’s mandate and should have waited for June. I want them to vacate the FIFA house,” she mentioned.

The minister also shared that she had written letters to FIFA to send their fact-finding mission to Pakistan to conduct free and fair elections. “I want this game to prevail in the country as there is a lot of talent here, especially in remote areas. For football, you don’t need such a big infrastructure,” she said.

“I had written letters to FIFA to send their fact-finding mission to Pakistan and conduct free and fair elections. We also want clarity on the federation to promote this game further in the country,” she concluded.

It must be noted here that Syed Ashfaq Hussain’s group allegedly took charge of the PFF. FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee (NC)’s chairman Haroon Malik claimed that Ashfaq-led group forcefully took charge of FIFA house.

Later on, FIFA reacted on this matter and warned the Ashfaq-led group to return PFF headquarters to the NC within a day otherwise harsh sanctions will be imposed on Pakistan.

ARY

 

[PetroDollars]

this really sums up pakistan completly.

always there seems to be a political and religious power struggle to take over organisations.

If its not ministers and politians, then its TJ and there goons destorying places like punjab uni.

 

[MenInG]

Lahore: Syed Ashfaq Hussain-led group has decided not to return the charge of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) headquarters to the Normalisation Committee.

Ashfaq Hussain has opined that they will continue to work while controlling PFF Headquarters also known as ‘FIFA House’.

NC Chairman Haroon Malik has informed FIFA via email that he has not been returned the charge of the house.

“So far, three normalization committees have been making money only,” Ashfaq said. “No steps have been taken to hold elections in 18 months,” he blamed.

It must be noted here that Syed Ashfaq Hussain’s group allegedly took charge of the PFF. FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee (NC)’s chairman Haroon Malik claimed that Ashfaq-led group forcefully took charge of FIFA house.

Later on, FIFA reacted on this matter and warned the Ashfaq-led group to return PFF headquarters to the NC within a day otherwise harsh sanctions will be imposed on Pakistan.

ARY

 

[Saj]

I've been watching club football passionately for the past 10-15 years, not only Liverpool there are plenty of clubs that have a really good following on Facebook.

Real Madrid, Barcelona had very strong followings a few years back, both of these pages had around 300,000 followers, but then their pages were blocked by FB due to some reasons they are growing it back since then.

Even a club Like Man city has a strong Pakistani following on FB, they have around 60K followers on FB.

Exactly.

There's massive interest in football in Pakistan.

Get the right people running the sport and investment in the right areas and who knows there is potential for an improved ranking and more people taking up the sport.

 

[salahuddin10]

Exactly.

There's massive interest in football in Pakistan.

Get the right people running the sport and investment in the right areas and who knows there is potential for an improved ranking and more people taking up the sport.

Currently there isnt massive.But yes if right people run the sport than there might be massive

 

[ChTab]

Exactly.

There's massive interest in football in Pakistan.

Get the right people running the sport and investment in the right areas and who knows there is potential for an improved ranking and more people taking up the sport.

No doubt about the massive interest in football, but I don't think Pakistan would be able to qualify for a major tournament in the next 50 years even if we appoint the right people running the federation & the right investment. ATM we don't have any facilities at all, no infrastructure as well. Plus Pakistani parent doesn't consider sport as a career.

Have a look at China they have invested heavily in football & they are nowhere to be seen when it comes to World Cup Finals.

In cricket where we have a kind of an established structure, we are extremely mediocre for the past 10-15 years.

 

[OMB]

No doubt about the massive interest in football, but I don't think Pakistan would be able to qualify for a major tournament in the next 50 years even if we appoint the right people running the federation & the right investment. ATM we don't have any facilities at all, no infrastructure as well. Plus Pakistani parent doesn't consider sport as a career.

Have a look at China they have invested heavily in football & they are nowhere to be seen when it comes to World Cup Finals.

In cricket where we have a kind of an established structure, we are extremely mediocre for the past 10-15 years.

tbh China did atleast appear in World Cup Finals. 92 I think.

 

[ChTab]

tbh China did atleast appear in World Cup Finals. 92 I think.

Not 92, it was 2002 WC but most of their investment in football started in the last decade or so. Don't know how they managed to qualify for the 2002 WC maybe it was a stroke of luck or something like that.

 

[Saj]

No doubt about the massive interest in football, but I don't think Pakistan would be able to qualify for a major tournament in the next 50 years even if we appoint the right people running the federation & the right investment. ATM we don't have any facilities at all, no infrastructure as well.

But they need to start somewhere if they want to take football seriously, otherwise what's the point of playing the sport.

If countries, sporting federations had this attitude, they'd get nowhere.

Look at the likes of Bosnia etc countries that have appeared out of brutal wars, yet are producing some fantastic players.

 

[King-Misbah]

But they need to start somewhere if they want to take football seriously, otherwise what's the point of playing the sport.

If countries, sporting federations had this attitude, they'd get nowhere.

Look at the likes of Bosnia etc countries that have appeared out of brutal wars, yet are producing some fantastic players.

Bosnians are natural sport people, they are strong, fit and healthy. I think their average male height is over 6 ft. Pakistani do not have the physique or infrastructure to improve yet. They need to focus on school level and make a feed system that feeds into city/national level. Yet again, you will need coaches too and I do not see that happening yet. Football is not priority in Pakistan, many more important issues.

 

[Saj]

Bosnians are natural sport people, they are strong, fit and healthy. I think their average male height is over 6 ft. Pakistani do not have the physique or infrastructure to improve yet. They need to focus on school level and make a feed system that feeds into city/national level. Yet again, you will need coaches too and I do not see that happening yet. Football is not priority in Pakistan, many more important issues.

Football is a sport, of course it's not priority, but as this thread is about football, that's what is going to be discussed.

The infrastructure needs to be in place, but as with so many other third world countries, corruption is the biggest problem.

Football in Pakistan needs leadership and people who can take the sport forward. As yet, I'm not sure those people are visible yet.

 

[Majid Khan]

It’s a shame there’s hardly any sport out there that sportsmen can excel at without requiring hard work, practice, discipline to develop whatever skills are needed for that sport and also achieve high standard of physical fitness.

It would be great if there was a ‘short cut’ to being successful in sports without the hard work and lifestyle changes needed for things like exercise, diet, etc.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

But they need to start somewhere if they want to take football seriously, otherwise what's the point of playing the sport.

If countries, sporting federations had this attitude, they'd get nowhere.

Look at the likes of Bosnia etc countries that have appeared out of brutal wars, yet are producing some fantastic players.

You answered the question to this thread in your first sentence. Pakistan doesn't even take it's premier sport cricket seriously, let alone a secondary one like football. It's a pastime for a select few.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Need to invest a lot in Football and a lot of organization. Kids need to be encouraged to peruse their passion in Football. There are not enough Cricket Grounds let alone Football ones.

The task will at least be 10x difficult than Cricket.

 

[OMB]

FIFA to decide fate of Pakistan’s football next week

Lahore: The governing body of world’s football, FIFA will decide the fate of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) next week, ARY Sports reported.

The decision has been delayed as FIFA offices are closed these days due to the Easter holidays. Normalisation Committee (NC) and Ashfaq Hussain’s group have submitted respective details to FIFA.

Ashfaq’s group opined that an audit report of 19 months should be taken from the normalization committee while the scandals of the normalization committee have also tarnished Pakistan’s image.

According to the procedure, FIFA will initially suspend Pakistan’s membership. In the second phase, further action will be taken against

It must be noted here that Syed Ashfaq Hussain-led group took over the PFF house charge forcefully from the FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee. Later on, FIFA reacted on this matter and warned the Ashfaq-led group to return PFF headquarters to the NC within a day.

Ashfaq, who was elected PFF president after winning the elections conducted under the supervision of the Supreme Court, refused to return the office which leads Pakistan on a verge of international suspension once again.

https://arysports.tv/fifa-decide-fate-pakistans-football-next-week/

 

[Firebat]

FIFA suspends Chad and Pakistan football associations

The Bureau of the FIFA Council suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect due to third-party interference, which constitutes a serious violation of the FIFA Statutes.

This situation was prompted by the recent hostile takeover of the PFF headquarters in Lahore by a group of protestors and an alleged decision by certain individuals to remove the FIFA-appointed normalisation committee of the PFF led by Haroon Malik and to hand over the leadership of the PFF to Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah.

FIFA issued a letter warning that, should the illegitimate occupation of the PFF headquarters not be lifted and the office bearers recognised by FIFA not be permitted free access to the building to carry out their mandate, the matter would be immediately submitted to the Bureau of the Council for decision.

As the situation remains unchanged, the Bureau of the Council has decided to suspend the PFF.

This suspension will only be lifted once FIFA has received confirmation from the normalisation committee of the PFF that the PFF’s premises, accounts, administration and communication channels are again under its full control and it can continue to carry out its mandate without further hindrance.

https://www.fifa.com/who-we-are/news/fifa-suspends-chad-and-pakistan-football-associations

 

[PakLFC]

The Pak media is so obsessed with Cricket that no other Sport stands a chance of progressing. A decent performance at undemanding Sports like Squash is enough to please us because our expectations are so low, we are so easily pleased. Some serious Football talent in Lyari and among the African-Pakistani community if we had the infrastructure to polish their talent.

 

[MenInG]

Islamabad: The Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Fehmida Mirza termed the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) by the FIFA Bureau as highly painful, and absolutely shocking to the millions of football fans.

While reacting on the matter, Fehmida emphasized that they had already condemned the act of taking over of Football House by a faction of PFF in unequivocal terms.

“It is unfortunate that FIFA has suspended Pakistan’s membership,” she said. “The government is trying to bring both sides to the negotiating table,” she added.

She requested the Normalization Committee to announce the roadmap for Elections of PFF in line with the directions of FIFA.

“The normalization committee and the Pakistan Football Federation are independent bodies. the government is playing the role of mediator so as to restore the normal activities of Football in the country,” she added.

She concluded by urging FIFA to reconsider its decision and that the government assured pledges to facilitate FIFA in the peaceful resolution of the matter while upholding the international obligations.

It must be noted that FIFA suspended PFF yesterday due to third-party interference. According to the Bureau of the FIFA Council, the interference constitutes a serious violation of article 16 of the FIFA Statutes.

ARY

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation after “recent hostile takeover of the PFF head office in Pakistan." <br><br>Players have all been affected roughly. Football as a sport has been rediculed over time in Pakistan. <br>Who's answerable?<a href="https://twitter.com/ArifAlvi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ArifAlvi</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ImranKhanPTI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FIFABan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FIFABan</a> <a href="https://t.co/VYGPvcF76G">pic.twitter.com/VYGPvcF76G</a></p>— Hajra Khan (@hajrakn) <a href="https://twitter.com/hajrakn/status/1380028383183171585?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 8, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Is it not ironic to have a former sportsman as the Prime Minister of a country but still the country’s football federation receives suspension from Fifa, despite football being the sport of the people, the sport that has been most diverse in its way with the Pakistanis.

Pakistan women’s football team captain Hajra Khan has urged former cricketer and now PM Imran Khan and the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi to intervene and convince a group of former Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officials to leave the headquarters that they took over on March 27, which prompted Fifa to suspend Pakistan’s membership on Wednesday.

“Football has been ridiculed in Pakistan and this is the second ban. I just want to request the PM to take notice of this. He is also a sports icon and sports should be a priority during his tenure,” Hajra told The Express Tribune on Wednesday after Fifa announced that Pakistan is now suspended from competing in the international events that will not only hurt the footballers but also endanger the livelihood of many.

“Imran Khan has been a sports icon and I feel there should be some priority given to sports now. We don’t expect much as Pakistani women, we expect the state to provide safety for us, education, the basics, and now this, our right to play. I just want to say that this is our last hope and the PM should take notice of this. He can intervene and things can improve.”

Hajra also put up her reaction to the ban on her social media platforms, and while talking to The Express Tribune she said that she feels that she has the responsibility for the rest of the footballers too, who cannot voice their opinions.

“FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation after “recent hostile takeover of the PFF head office in Pakistan." Players have all been affected roughly. Football as a sport has been ridiculed over time in Pakistan. Who's answerable?” tweeted Hajra.

The key player for Pakistan as she has been, Hajra, was also competing at the 2021 National Women’s Championship which was cancelled after the ‘hostile takeover’ of the PFF headquarters on March 27.

She was one of the key athletes to speak up and chose not to continue participating in the championship that was later being organised by the group that occupied PFF headquarters after kicking out the Fifa appointed Normalisation Committee.

“There are still women footballers who can’t speak up and I feel I have the duty to speak up for them too. There are lots of footballers who earn their bread and butter through football but this ban will result in the death of football. Footballers have won Pakistan accolades, we have done well internationally too, and this is our last hope,” said the Guinness world record holder.

This is the second time Pakistan have been banned in the last five years. Hajra along with other footballers too saw the worst of the time, seeing their time going to waste as there were no football activities, but managed to go abroad and participate in trials for different clubs. She also participated in the world record matches to draw attention to other causes.

This year the PFF NC announced Pakistan’s participation in the South Asian Football Federation Championship as well as Asian Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cup.

The last time Pakistan women’s team competed in an international event with the national team was 2014, which was the SAFF Women's Championship in Islamabad.

Fifa suspended Pakistan for ‘third party interference’ as the group led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah took over the PFF offices in Lahore from the Fifa-appointed Normalisation Committee, headed by Haroon Malik.

The takeover was forceful and Fifa labelled it as ‘hostile’ and that alone has left Pakistan in a precarious situation. There is surety when the suspension will be over, because Shah’s group demands talk with Fifa, and they do not trust the NC, which was appointed in September 2019.

Shah was elected as the PFF President through the Supreme Court-ordered elections in December 2018 and he believes he is a rightful stakeholder and has the legitimate mandate, however, Fifa does not recognise him or his congress.

Shah and his congress believe that the NC was to hold fair and fresh elections on every PFF level, which it failed to do, so there is a lack of trust on NC. The NC have seen the change in its leadership thrice as well.

Fifa have demanded the occupants (Shah and co) to leave PFF headquarters along with the control over funds and administration to Haroon-led NC for the suspension to end and Pakistan to enjoy a full Fifa membership again, which includes the footballers and football community to participate in the international events and activities again.

“The Bureau of the Council further decided that the suspension of the PFF will only be lifted when… A confirmation is received by FIFA from the PFF normalisation committee led by Haroon Malik that the PFF’s premises, accounts, administration and communication channels are again under its full control.”

 

[sa88]

All these physique / genetics arguments are ** and come from the same tired racial theories that gave birth to the caste system and the martial / non- martial race system.

2 things will help build a decent football team:

1) A regional set up. Village and town teams that people can get behind. Speaking to my father they had village kabaddi, hockey and football team that played neighbouring villages from Nankana sahib district and lots of people turned up to watch the games. Nothing like this happens now.

2) Success breeds success. Good players getting recognition and getting foreign contracts would encourage others to take up the sport and drive professionalism across the game.

 

[RajBan]

All these physique / genetics arguments are ** and come from the same tired racial theories that gave birth to the caste system and the martial / non- martial race system.

2 things will help build a decent football team:

1) A regional set up. Village and town teams that people can get behind. Speaking to my father they had village kabaddi, hockey and football team that played neighbouring villages from Nankana sahib district and lots of people turned up to watch the games. Nothing like this happens now.

2) Success breeds success. Good players getting recognition and getting foreign contracts would encourage others to take up the sport and drive professionalism across the game.

Great post.

 

[OMB]

3) Lots of money to spend on the infrastructure. TV rights, sponsorships and investments in national / regional academies.

 

[MenInG]

At least 12 people were injured in an explosion during a football match on Tuesday at a ground in Allahbad Town located in Balochistan's industrial town of Hub, police officials said.

According to Hub Assistant Commissioner retired Lt Mohammad Ahmed Zaheer, the injured persons were rushed to the nearby Jam Ghulam Qadir Hospital for first aid, from where they were shifted to Karachi.

AC Zaheer said that two of the injured were in critical condition but they were said to be out of danger.

Lasbela SSP Tariq Ilahi, who inspected the site of the explosion, told the media that it was caused by a locally manufactured improvised explosive device (IED) that had been planted in the ground.

According to the SSP, the football tournament was dedicated to police martyrs. "The explosion occurred while the final match was being played," he said, adding that police were investigating further into the nature of the blast and a possible motive.

Uptick in violence

There has been an uptick in violence in restive Balochistan, with several incidents of terrorism being reported last year.

On October 16, seven soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and seven security guards were martyred in an 'encounter' with a "large number of terrorists" while escorting a convoy of state-run Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) on the Makran Coastal Highway in Ormara.

The convoy was on its way to Karachi from Gwadar when it came under attack.

In August last year, at least eight people, including police and FC personnel, were injured in a blast in Hub.

In April 2019, at least 14 people, including 11 personnel of Navy, Air Force and Coast Guards, were killed by gunmen after they were picked out with the help of their computerised national identity cards (CNICs) and offloaded from seven buses in the Buzi Pass area near Ormara.

The incident had taken place on the Makran Coastal Highway linking Karachi with the port city of Gwadar. The buses were going to Gwadar from Karachi.

An alliance of three banned militant organisations — the Balochistan Liberation Front, Balochistan Republican Army and Baloch Republican Guard — had claimed responsibility for the killings.

DAWN

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://arysports.tv/influential-figures-mobilized-resolve-pffs-headquarters-dispute/

Influential federal and provincial government figures have been mobilized to resolve Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) headquarters dispute, ARY Sports reported.

FIFA suspended PFF last week due to third-party interference and termed it as a serious violation of article 16 of the FIFA Statutes.

According to sources, influential figures are trying to reconcile the two groups FIFA’s Normalisation Committee (NC) and Engineer Ashfaq Hussain group.

The Normalisation Committee has demanded the return of FIFA House and opined that they will work on the framework of next PFF’s election.

On the other hand, Engineer Ashfaq Group demanded a time frame for PFF. The Ashfaq Group has also sought assurances from individuals to implement the time frame.

A middle ground is being sought for early reconciliation between the two groups. Matters are expected to reach an understanding in the next one and a half to two weeks.

 

[Saj]

All these physique / genetics arguments are ** and come from the same tired racial theories that gave birth to the caste system and the martial / non- martial race system.

2 things will help build a decent football team:

1) A regional set up. Village and town teams that people can get behind. Speaking to my father they had village kabaddi, hockey and football team that played neighbouring villages from Nankana sahib district and lots of people turned up to watch the games. Nothing like this happens now.

2) Success breeds success. Good players getting recognition and getting foreign contracts would encourage others to take up the sport and drive professionalism across the game.

Absolutely.

Get the system right, get the basics right, get the infrastructure right, get the best people running football in the country and see how things improve.

 

[amax]

Athleticism to certain extent might be genetic , but a lot of it comes from cultural habbits, lean muscle mass is important and comes from protein rich diet with less carbs and fats. Pakistanis should change their eating habits a bit and focus on physical activity from younger age. But Problem is that until for a large part of population the biggest question is "how to bring next meal to table", all this is a luxary. Though middle classes in pakistan should focus on changing their routines.

 

[Saj]

I think the power struggle in the football association must put people off too from playing the sport.

Clueless people trying to run the sport resulting in chaos.

If you had a professional set-up, with professional people running the game, I'm pretty sure that more people would want to play the game.

 

[Saj]

I think the power struggle in the football association must put people off too from playing the sport.

Clueless people trying to run the sport resulting in chaos.

If you had a professional set-up, with professional people running the game, I'm pretty sure that more people would want to play the game.

 

[PetroDollars]

not sure where the fitness myth comes from, maybe because cricketers are lazy and pak team is full of sifarishies

but the fact is paks are much fitter than brits, theres no comparisons, people here are obese, if some kid has a six pack in school, everyone is excited and gaze like there at a tourist attraction,

in pak schools six packs are such a norm, no one cares.

 

[OMB]

Presenting damning evidence, Ashfaq group lays into PFF NC’s working

For more than a month, the group of officials led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah have been labelled as the villains of Pakistan football; the bad guys who have led to FIFA banning the country after seizing the headquarters of the Pakistan Football Federation from the Normalisation Com*mittee installed by the global football body.

On Wednesday, 49 days after retaking charge of the PFF headquarters from the NC, they hit back. And, with evidence supporting why they felt it was necessary.

“Since we took the PFF HQ back, we’ve been gathering documentation about how the NC was working since its appointment in September 2019 and today I can say that we’ve uncovered things that are very depressing,” Ashfaq, the PFF president elected by the Supreme Court but not recognised by FIFA, told a news conference here at the PFF headquarters.

“The evidence we have shows that there were many personal agendas involved but no will to do anything about football, which has been in doldrums since 2015. That’s why there has been nothing done on the election front.

“Most of the evidence has come from the laptop of PFF NC finance director Adnan Us-Sadiq,” Ashfaq added.

The laptop, which was seized upon by Ashfaq group during the takeover of the PFF headquarters, contains numerous phone recordings in which Adnan is colluding with former general secretary Manizeh Zainli, former PFF NC member retired Col Mujahidullah Tareen and former FIFA official Mohsen Gilani to implicate former PFF NC chairman Humza Khan in financial corruption and harassment.

“The whole normalisation process has suffered due to Mohsen,” said Sardar Naveed Haider Khan, the vice-president of Ashfaq’s PFF. “Mohsen is very close to Asian Football Confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa and he says very openly in the recordings that [AFC deputy general secretary] Vahid Kardany and [AFC International Relations Officer] Purushottam Kattel are his men.

“Unfortunately the AFC let Mohsen go on interfering and influencing NC matters and took no action which is why we are where we are right now.”

The most alarming evidence presented, though, was a conversation between Muneer Sadhana, the interim NC chairman following Hamza’s resignation in December last year, and Mujahid.

In that conversation Sadhana is telling Mujahid that he has no authority to hire or fire any NC staff or to overturn any decisions taken by Humza.

Before resigning from his post, Humza had terminated both Adnan and Manizeh due to their differences and Sadhana told Mujahid that he had advised the duo to go to courts to make a case for the NC to reinstate them.

Both Adnan and Manizeh were subsequently reinstated and Sadhana went on to overturn decisions taken by Humza of naming the provincial normalisation committees as well the electoral bodies, bringing the NC back to square one.

At the time Sadhana overturned the decision, Malik Amir Dogar — another vice-president of Ashfaq’s PFF — hailed the move but Ashfaq said on Wednesday that “they were misguided by Sadhana at that point in time about the powers given to him”.

Further during that call, Sadhana and Mujahid can be heard making plans on how to slam Humza on financial corruption.

Mujahid reacted to Wednesday’s news conference, telling Dawn that the move by the Ashfaq group ‘doesn’t still justify occupation of the PFF headquarters’.

“They should go to a proper forum and address this issue,” he added.

Ashfaq responded to that saying that a complaint has already been filed with the FIFA ethics committee.

It is during Sadhana’s 20-day term in-charge as NC chief in December last year that Ashfaq group claimed that there was widespread financial corruption.

Documents obtained by Dawn show that the PFF NC compliance department red-flagged salaries given to Manizeh and Adnan for the month of December as they were higher than usual. The compliance department also red-flagged several payments made to lawyers who appeared for just a single hearing which was for the withdrawal of cases filed by Manizeh against the PFF NC following her early termination and in which the PFF already had existing lawyers.

“Mujahid, Mohsen and Adnan took advantage of the Manizeh situation to start a campaign against Humza alleging corruption, embezzlement, favouritism without any substantial evidence.” Sardar said during the news conference.

In a recording the quartet are planning to have Humza arrested. That arrest never happened.

Manizeh told Dawn after the news conference that she “she still stands for the truth and has all the evidence to back her claims.”

Manizeh had been brought in by Humza as the first female secretary general in February 2020.

“While welcoming the fact that the truth be brought out which would evidence the deep conspiracy including during my time, I deny any and all allegations of wrongdoing on my part,” Humza told Dawn in a statement. “I made certain honest mistakes due to being misguided by certain elements within and outside the NC but I strongly deny any allegations of corruption of bullying/harassment and would consider my legal options.”

Manizeh left the PFF NC barely eight days after being reinstated but Adnan carried on. Sadhana and Mujahid were later removed after FIFA revamped the NC, bringing in Haroon Malik as the chairman in January.

It also saw new members named, including Haris Azmat, Shahid Khokhar and Saud Azim Hashmi.

In a recording of the call in which Haris is being briefed by Mohsen, the latter details his links in the AFC, informing that both Kardany and Kattel will be among the interview panel for the NC chairman.

“Mohsen clearly identifies with a group [led by Zahir Ali Shah] fighting for PFF control and has his own ambitions of running for various positions,” said Sardar. “How can Haris be an independent chairman if he is being coached by Mohsen before his interview for the NC?

“Adnan, meanwhile, speaks to Mohsen on these recordings as if he’s speaking to his boss,” Sardar added. “He’s giving Mohsen all the insider information on how they can influence the NC decisions.”

In another recording, Adnan makes a sensational claim that he has obtained the signatures of long-time former PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat, who was in power from 2003 until the NC took over.

“We can rectify any previous document or we can use it if we want to forge his signature on anything,” Adnan says as he discusses with Mohsen how things are under Haroon’s leadership.

“We will have to do something. He [Haroon] is up to no good. He wants to make a lot of changes in the statutes,” Adnan continues. “He wants a hung congress elected, one that keeps fighting so there is no majority from one faction. He wants to strengthen the organisation and put in powerful people on key posts which the congress can’t change.”

Adnan adds that he’s in line to be the deputy general secretary but then says Haroon “is becoming an [expletive] dictator”.

Adnan did not respond to calls from Dawn for comment.

Sardar called out Haroon for having his own personal interests in holding a franchise league in Pakistan and both he and Ashfaq slammed the PFF NC chief for not taking action against Adnan, who approved all the financial transactions during Sadhana’s tenure.

Haroon was asked about whether he’d listened to the recordings.

“My thoughts remain the same,” he told Dawn. “They [Ashfaq group] took illegal actions by which Pakistan football got suspended and continues to remain suspended. They have no legal standing to be in the PFF headquarters. They need to vacate unconditionally.

“That is the bottom line to restore Pakistan football. That comes first, everything else follows.”

The ban on Pakistan is due to be ratified at the FIFA Congress on Friday.

Ashfaq was asked if his group would vacate the PFF headquarters but his answer was a firm no. “After all of this, definitely not,” he said. “Absolutely not.”

https://www.dawn.com/news/1624666/presenting-damning-evidence-ashfaq-group-lays-into-pff-ncs-working

 

[Saj]

not sure where the fitness myth comes from, maybe because cricketers are lazy and pak team is full of sifarishies

but the fact is paks are much fitter than brits, theres no comparisons, people here are obese, if some kid has a six pack in school, everyone is excited and gaze like there at a tourist attraction,

in pak schools six packs are such a norm, no one cares.

To be a good footballer, you need more than just a six-pack.

There are a lot of other skills that need developing, many of which have to be developed at a young age. This is why setting up football academies is vital in Pakistan if the nation wants to play football seriously.

 

[Local.Dada]

Back in the day SC players were the worst fielders in the world. They were safe catchers for the most part but their ground fielding used to be a joke. This was because of their upbringing on some of the most roughest and terrible conditions to dive around. As the facilities started getting better at least I can speak for India, the fielding quality improved by leaps and bounds.

At least in cricket there are other skills to compensate for poor fielding and athleticism.

I hardly see any soccer grounds in India so not sure if situation in Pak would be any better. You can’t expect these guys brought up in these conditions to match the pace and skills of elite soccer players.

Even if infrastructure is developed, it will take many years for India leave alone Pakistan to get to the next level. There is a reason why even China cannot match the big sides in soccer or US in basketball . They have the craze, the fan base and the infrastructure.

It’s not that simple I guess.

 

[MenInG]

FIFA Congress has confirmed the suspension of Pakistan Football Federation and Chadian Football Association.

 

[MenInG]

Karachi: The world’s governing body of football, FIFA in its 71st Congres meeting decided to permanently suspend Pakistan Football Federation.

A voting process took place where out of 204 member nations, 203 voted that the ban must be imposed while only one vote was in PFF’s favour.

Remember, the Bureau of the FIFA Council imposed temporary suspension on April 7 after Syed Ashfaq Hussain-led group took over the PFF house charge forcefully from the FIFA-installed Normalisation Committee.

Meanwhile, Haroon Malik-led NC has released a statement where they revealed that FIFA has hailed NC’s positive steps and further sanctions were avoided.

“The suspension can be lifted once Normalisation Committee Chairman Haroon Malik, requests FIFA for lifting the suspension. This is the most positive outcome that was possible given the ongoing occupation of the PFF Headquarters by Ashfaq Shah group”.

The permanent suspension will remain until Ashfaq-group doesn’t hand over PFF’s matters to NC.

ARY

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)’s controversial President Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah has said that they are in consistent touch with FIFA but even if the international body’s suspension persists, football will flourish in Pakistan.

“Even without suspension, Pakistan football revolved around a few footballers — not more than 20 or 30,” Ashfaq told PPI. “But now we want to start Pakistan Super League and will try our best to lift football from grass-roots level,” he added.

Ashfaq was elected President in the last PFF elections held under Supreme Court supervision. But FIFA cried foul for third party interference and set up a Normalisation Committee with a mandate to hold free, fair and transparent elections. But it failed to hold elections even after getting extension for nearly two years.

Recently, Ashfaq-led group controversially took control of the PFF headquarter — the PFF House in Lahore — sending PFF Normalisation Committee officials back home accusing them of embezzlement and lack of sincerity.

Ashfaq said that they would be revealing schedule of football events in the country soon. It would include Pakistan Football Super League that would be similar to Pakistan Super League (cricket).

According to sources, talks are already underway with a private group that brought international footballers such as former Brazilian superstars Ronaldinho, Ricardo Kaka, Portuguese Luis Figo and Welshman Ryan Giggs to Pakistan in the past.

Ashfaq said that FIFA is a great sports body but “unfortunately a few bad people of Pakistan have been able to hijack their attention and people who are sincere to Pakistan football are demonised in their eyes.

“When football thrives in Pakistan, FIFA will recognise Pakistan and lift the suspension,” he added.

“I am ready for a committee made of sincere people who actually wants to hold free, fair and transparent elections,” Ashfaq said.

https://www.geosuper.tv/latest/8645-fifa-or-no-fifa-football-will-flourish-in-pakistan-ashfaq

 

[OMB]

Ashfaq’s PFF announces holding of franchise league in December


KARACHI: Talk of a franchise football league in Pakistan is back on.

Nearly two months after seizing control of the Pakistan Football Federation headquarters from the FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee — which led to a ban from the global football body, the group of officials led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah is looking to launch what it couldn’t two years ago.

And the idea has been floated 10 days after an explosive news conference in Lahore where apart from providing evidence of manipulations and perversions in the working of the PFF NC, the Ashfaq group — which came into power after a PFF election held by the Supreme Court in 2018 which wasn’t recognised by FIFA — termed the ambitions of NC chief Haroon Malik to hold a league of his own a “conflict of interest”.

In March 2019, months after the Supreme Court-held election, Ashfaq group had agreed to a partnership with England-based TouchSky Group to develop football in the country which included the holding of a franchise league.After Ashfaq’s PFF held their Executive Committee meeting on Saturday, its vice-president Sardar Naveed Haider Khan told Dawn that “the same group is behind the launch of the inaugural Pakistan Football League in December this year”.

TouchSky CEO Ahmer Kunwar, though, denied any such partnership during a conversation with Dawn on Sunday.

Sardar Naveed said that a detailed plan regarding the five-team PFL, which will be held on similar lines to cricket’s glitzy Twenty20 Pakistan Super League, “will be given during a press conference in the coming weeks”.

“Pakistan’s talented players will be given the opportunity to play on merit,” Ashfaq’s PFF said in a news release on Sunday. “This league will be introduced with a new vibe which will be a milestone in the history of Pakistan football and whenever a national team will be formed the players of this great and glorious league will join it.”

The PFL isn’t initially going to replace the Pakistan Premier Football League, currently the country’s top-tier tournament which is due to be held in August.

The Ashfaq group has also announced it will hold the National Under-23 Championship in June this year.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1626673/ashfaqs-pff-announces-holding-of-franchise-league-in-december

 

[MenInG]

Global football body FIFA isn’t flinching. Nor is Ashfaq Shah, the court-elected president of the Pakistan Football Fed*era*tion, whose takeover of the PFF headquarters from the FIFA-appointed PFF Normalisation Committee forced a suspension on Pakistan.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1632660/fifa-extends-pff-nc-mandate-despite-pakistan-suspension

 

[daytrader]

SAFF Championship 2023: India to begin their campaign against Pakistan
In light of the recent controversies in cricket — both sides refusing to play on each other’s soil — it might not be a surprise if this is denied.

An India-Pakistan clash on Indian soil? Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Najam Sethi might be adamant that this won’t happen in cricket, but the football teams of both countries could face each other in Bengaluru soon.

The draw ceremony for the 14th edition of the SAFF Championships put the heated rivals in the same group. If Pakistan do end up travelling for the event (which as of now seems to be on the cards), the tournament is slated to open on June 21 with an India-Pakistan clash. However, this remains a big if as media reports in Pakistan have stated that the team’s participation in the tournament is conditional to governmental clearance — something which the Pakistan Football Federation has not yet received.

In light of the recent controversies in cricket — both sides refusing to play on each other’s soil — it might not be a surprise if this is denied. AIFF general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran told this newspaper that the Pakistan football body itself was fully on board. “Obviously, the federation filled in all the forms and completed the necessary procedures, so we know they want to come. But what goes on between them and their government, we cannot comment on,” he said.

If Pakistan do end up participating, it will mark their return to competitive football in more than four years. Since a FIFA ban on the PFF — imposed for outside interference in the organisation — was lifted in 2022, Pakistan have just played two friendlies. Both games, versus Nepal and Maldives, resulted in 0-1 losses.

While India and Pakistan have had heated rivalries in cricket and hockey, football matches between the two nations have never had the same lure. “An India-Pakistan football game usually does not command the same kind of attention as cricket or hockey because India football team is usually stronger and expected to win,” Prabhakaran said. This assertion is backed up by statistics. In the 26 matches between the two countries, India have won 15 while Pakistan have won just 4. The SAFF Championships — a frequent battleground between the neighbours — has never been won by Pakistan, while India have won it a record 8 times.

...
https://www.newindianexpress.com/sp...-their-campaign-against-pakistan-2576248.html

 

[Major]

You know the funny thing?

Ideally Pakistan should be a football nation and not a cricket nation. Reason is because Pakistan is a poor nation, and cricket is a very expensive game. Most of the people that play cricket in Pakistan now belong to the lower class.

Bats, pads and other gear cost alot of money. A hard ball is also very expensive. When you go to a cricket club match, you not only pay ground fee but also have to contribute towards buying the cricket ball.

This is why I hate the new ICC rule of two new balls, as in club cricket this increases the cost.

Now as for the topic, Pakistan is a cricket nation because how the game was glamorized and we had success. We also had success in hockey, but field hockey was never a glamorized sport.

For Football, Pakistan never had any history of a player or a team that we could look up to so that young players can start to idolize and look up to. Plus, a sport like football requires more stamina. You need to do daily running to improve your own acceleration.

When I was a club cricketer, I was a fitness freak as I was daily doing 30-45 mins of running on road. This increased my sprint speed so much that once i played football ( a game in which i sucked at), and i was dribbling away the ball from everyone only because i had development my sprint speed.

Anyways, if you ever look at our footballers in Pakistan, you will see they are more focused on looks. They are more focused on looking like footballers, by dressing and acting all cool. Its as if they play football to be cool or act cool. The body language of the footballers in this country is very immature and weird.

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

You know the funny thing?

Ideally Pakistan should be a football nation and not a cricket nation. Reason is because Pakistan is a poor nation, and cricket is a very expensive game. Most of the people that play cricket in Pakistan now belong to the lower class.

Bats, pads and other gear cost alot of money. A hard ball is also very expensive. When you go to a cricket club match, you not only pay ground fee but also have to contribute towards buying the cricket ball.

This is why I hate the new ICC rule of two new balls, as in club cricket this increases the cost.

Now as for the topic, Pakistan is a cricket nation because how the game was glamorized and we had success. We also had success in hockey, but field hockey was never a glamorized sport.

For Football, Pakistan never had any history of a player or a team that we could look up to so that young players can start to idolize and look up to. Plus, a sport like football requires more stamina. You need to do daily running to improve your own acceleration.

When I was a club cricketer, I was a fitness freak as I was daily doing 30-45 mins of running on road. This increased my sprint speed so much that once i played football ( a game in which i sucked at), and i was dribbling away the ball from everyone only because i had development my sprint speed.

Anyways, if you ever look at our footballers in Pakistan, you will see they are more focused on looks. They are more focused on looking like footballers, by dressing and acting all cool. Its as if they play football to be cool or act cool. The body language of the footballers in this country is very immature and weird.

Interesting to read, and since you are someone who knows a lot about this stuff (I assume), I am really wanting to know what happened to Pakistan Hockey...

They had won 4 Hockey World Cups, their players were legends ( I have read) surely, wasn't this glamorizing or inspiring enough?

I don't know, I just find very hard to believe that Pakistan, a country with the most hockey world cups, that the people of Pakistan just shortly lost interest in this sport.

 

[Major]

Interesting to read, and since you are someone who knows a lot about this stuff (I assume), I am really wanting to know what happened to Pakistan Hockey...

They had won 4 Hockey World Cups, their players were legends ( I have read) surely, wasn't this glamorizing or inspiring enough?

I don't know, I just find very hard to believe that Pakistan, a country with the most hockey world cups, that the people of Pakistan just shortly lost interest in this sport.

To be fair, this are just my personal analysis and I could be wrong.

What my analysis about hockey situation in pakistan today is that, Hockey is not a sport that is played on the streets.
The most commonly played sport on the street is football and cricket. Pakistan thrives in cricket due to tape ball. The reason why we have a depth of 140 kph bowler is because alot of them start playing street level and than either they start earning in tape ball or decide to try their luck in hard ball.

Hockey doesnt exist in street level. No one plays the sport with sticks and a net. Now for that their could be multiple reasons. Its not very attractive sport, there isnt a Pakistani media that shows this sport to be quite fun or a challenging one. The reason why we were able to field a team in the past was because Hockey was played at school level. If you look at the teams of the past, majority of the players or stars were from Habib Public school as they were known as a school that promoted this sport. I think [MENTION=93712]MenInG[/MENTION] went there and could further elaborate on this point

Nowadays the sport is played if a person is able to find 10-12 like minded people who share the same passion and than to play they have to book a whole ground that exists in very few.

For a sport to prosper there are only two ways, either it should be played in the streets or in schools. But to be played in schools you need to make sure that the children of the nation are all enrolled in the school, not like 50% goes to school while the rest just roam around the streets or sit home or sitting in some madrassah.

Also as for the glamorize part, Football is glamorized worldwide. Field hockey's image world wide is of a sport that played by females, it is not vey glamor. Like i dont find anything cool or glamorous about Sohail Abbas.

Meanwhile a Shoaib Akhtar (who had a half of a career compared to Sohail Abbas), was something that looked cool and everyone wanted to emulate.

 

[MenInG]

Former England U20 captain Easah Suliman is set to make his international debut for Pakistan against India at next month’s South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship.

The Vitoria defender looks set to been handed his first international call-up by head coach Shahzad Anwar for the upcoming eight-team tournament after receiving international clearance from FIFA to allow him to represent Pakistan.

Pakistan will take on host nation India in an eagerly-anticipated tournament opener in Bengaluru, before playing against Kuwait and Nepal. Pakistan last played India in 2018, losing 3-1.

London Seaward's Zahmena Malik makes Pakistan debutGet Sky Sports | Download the Sky Sports AppSouth Asians in Football: Latest News
Birmingham-born Suliman came through the ranks at Aston Villa, turning professional at the club on his 17th birthday before taking in loan spells at Grimsby, Cheltenham Town and Dutch side Emmen.

Suliman made his Villa debut under former boss Steve Bruce in a League Cup tie against Wigan, before making eventually making the switch to Portuguese top-flight outfit Vitoria for an undisclosed fee in 2020.

The 25-year-old central defender is currently on a season-long loan at Vilafranquense and has started the last 12 matches for the team.

Suliman has earned international recognition at youth level throughout age groups with England, most recently featuring for the nation at U20 level.

The defender is the first British-Pakistani to captain an England side and played every minute of England's U17 World Cup campaign in Chile 2015.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/foo...p&cvid=89b54873be854291936852e1ffa06e0f&ei=11

 

[MenInG]

laying for Pakistan "will mean everything" to Grimsby Town attacking midfielder Otis Khan, South Asians in football legend Jimmy Khan has told Sky Sports News.

Sky Sports News exclusively revealed on Monday that Otis Khan's international clearance was on the verge of completion, with the Pakistan Football Federation confirming the news the following day.

He is expected to be named in the squad for a four-nation series in Mauritius next month, before travelling to India where Pakistan will play the host nation in Bengaluru in their opening match of the 2023 South Asian Football Federation Championship (SAFF).

Vitoria Guimaraes defender and former England youth captain Easah Suliman is also expected to feature at the SAFF Championship, alongside British-Pakistani teenager Harun Hamid, who spent last season at QPR.

Former Blackburn Rovers academy footballer Jimmy Khan was one of the first overseas-based diaspora players to turn out for the Pakistan national side, making his debut for the Shaheens back in 1989.

A well-known figure on the Lancashire football scene, Jimmy played in the North West Counties League for teams including Darwen and Clitheroe, and even had a stint playing club football in Finland.

Jimmy, who is a UEFA A Licence coach and now sits on the FA Council, told Sky Sports News: "It was one of the greatest moments of my life [to play for Pakistan] and I know it will mean everything to Otis.

"We need to see more role models like Easah and Otis and I hope they can use some of their stardust to talk about how proud they are to play for the country.

SKY

 

[hassan918]

Pakistan u23 trailing by 1 goal to 0 against Bahrain u23 in AFC u23 qualifiers at Half Time.

 

[hassan918]

Pakistan u23 lost against Bahrain u23 1-3 in AFC u23 qualifiers.