Pakistan Football Federation seeks dialogue with FIFA months after suspension from global body

A security guard stands outside the Pakistan Football Federation House building in Lahore, Pakistan,on July 6, 2015. (REUTERS/File)

• In April FIFA suspended PFF after a group of Pakistani officials seized control of headquarters from its Normalization Committee
• Ashfq Hussain Shah, whose group seized control, was elected by Supreme Court in 2018 to run PFF but was not recognized by FIFA

KARACHI: Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah on Saturday said that they were open to hold a discussion with the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to resolve their issues, months after soccer’s global governing body suspended the PFF due to third-party interference. 
In April, FIFA suspended the PFF after a group of officials led by Shah, which was elected by the Pakistani Supreme Court in 2018 to run the PFF but was not recognized by FIFA, took over the Pakistan football headquarters and seized control from the FIFA Normalization Committee (NC), headed by Haroon Malik. 
At the time, Shah told Reuters that the NC had not conducted elections for the body in the 18 months since it took charge. FIFA said its decision to suspend the PFF was prompted by the “hostile takeover,” which constituted a serious violation of its statutes. 
However, the PFF chief says they respect the global soccer body and want to resolve their issues through dialogue. 
“You know, we are open to discussion. FIFA should send a representative or a delegation or they should invite us for a dialogue. We are always open to discussion and want to resolve the matter,” Shah told English-language newspaper The News. 
“You know we had handed over the headquarters and accounts to [the] FIFA-appointed Normalization Committee and the world body’s official Alex Gross was witness to that. We had fully supported and respected FIFA and its NC but unfortunately, the NC left us disappointed by doing nothing toward elections despite spending a long time in office.” 
He said they had written several letters to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), but to no avail. “We shared with them audio recordings and evidence of corruption and manipulation of elections, but they did not respond and it’s unfortunate.” 
The Pakistan football chief said they believed in negotiations, but could not trust the present NC as it had “deceived” them several times. 
“Look, we are even ready to sit with the current NC, but they don’t have the courage to meet us. Haroon Malik never tried to sit with us and negotiate the matter. NC’s members are happy to get huge packages without doing anything,” the report quoted him as saying. 
“We have submitted our election mechanism with the government, but we have not yet been contacted by anyone. We want fair and transparent elections and are even ready to hand over NC a complete portion in the Football House in Lahore if the government gives us a guarantee.” 
Maintaining he was serving the game in Pakistan, Shah said: “If I am not required, I will go. You know I have no vested interests and am doing my job honestly for the betterment of football. We are holding the Premier League and will keep making efforts for football development.” 
Asked about a recent news conference held by another group in Lahore asking them to vacate the headquarters by November 10, Shah said, “Let them do it. They cannot do anything through such threats. Who were the people present in the news conference? You know that. They are opportunists, jumping from one group to another.” 
In response to the conditions of Shah’s group, the NC said a few days ago that the group would have to unconditionally hand over the PFF headquarters to it. 
“Why do these people want the Football House,” Shah asked. “It means they want something different and are not going to hold elections. Haroon had focused on events rather than doing anything toward holding elections.” 
Shah’s group, which formed the PFF in December 2018 under a Supreme Court order, had handed over the headquarters and accounts to NC in September 2019, the report said. However, the NC, under Humza Khan, failed to do anything toward elections despite a long time in office. 
The NC was then reconstituted and Canada-based Haroon was brought in as its chairman, but he also did not take any step toward holding elections. 
Shah’s group re-assumed control of the PFF headquarters in March this year. Consequently, in the first week of April, FIFA had suspended the PFF, saying that the suspension would be lifted only after its NC regains control of the headquarters and accounts. 
Pakistan’s Inter Provincial Coordination Minister Dr. Fehmida Mirza has held long discussions with all parties, but so far her efforts have not borne any fruit.