Daily Times

LAHORE: Faisal Saleh Hayat’s group has regained control of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) headquarters. Now, the president, recognised by FIFA, is hopeful that football’s global body will lift the ban on Pakistan. FIFA, when it imposed the ban in October last year, had said it would lift it once the Hayat-led federation was given back control of its offices and accounts. They PFF headquarters, called the FIFA House, and its accounts had been under control of a court appointed administrator since August 2015 after a dispute broke in the federation ahead of its presidential election in June that year. But after a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld Hayat’s election earlier this week, the administrator relinquished control to the PFF body on Thursday. “This is a historic decision in our favour,” PFF secretary general Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi said after taking possession. “We are thankful to all the players, coaches, lawyers who stood with us.”

Lodhi entered the PFF office alongside senior vice-president Khadim Ali Shah and marketing consultant Sardar Naveed Haider Khan to the beating of loud drums from their supporters, who showered rose petals upon them. “The challenge is to recover the loss to the game over the last three years,” added Lodhi. “The president has instructed us to make a comprehensive plan to promote the game and we will try to streamline the affairs in next couple of months. However, we will need the cooperation of all the stakeholders for it.” He informed that since FIFA had objected to the court interfering in PFF affairs, the ban would be lifted soon as Hayat had been restored.

There is also the matter of Hayat’s mandate having expired. FIFA, in September 2015, gave Hayat a two-year term to ratify the PFF Statutes and hold fresh elections. With that term being over, there is a decision for FIFA to make over what it does when it eventually lifts the ban. There is also a dispute regarding the election of the Punjab Football Association (PFA). That contentious provincial poll in April 2015 saw the PFF break into two factions and in its judgment the LHC also upheld the election of members of a rival faction. And it has led to concerns how the PFF congress will now shape up. In such a case, with a dispute still there, FIFA usually installs a normalisation committee to resolve matters and hold elections.

“FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already congratulated Faisal Hayat after the case was won,” he informed. The rival faction, meanwhile, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court while also seeking a suspension of the LHC order. Lodhi, however, wasn’t concerned on Friday. “That process will take time but crucially for now Hayat has taken charge of the FIFA House.

Published in Daily Times, March 3^rd 2018.