FIFA president says ready to cooperate but won’t accept government’s interference in PFF matters
Karachi: FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that the world body is ready to cooperate with the Pakistan government on the issues it has with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalisation Committee (NC) but clarified that they won’t accept interference in the matters.
In September 2019, FIFA appointed the NC to run PFF matters under the chairmanship of Humza Khan, a former captain of Karachi United FC, to conduct free and fair elections in the federation.
Infantino, while talking at a virtual press conference after FIFA’s Congress meetup, is hoping that NC plays its role in reviving the game in Pakistan.
“The simple fact that there is a Normalisation Committee in Pakistan, as it is in other countries, is a consequence of situation that was already very very complicated and difficult,” Infantino said.
“That’s why with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), we decided to appoint the NC with some precise duties and bring back the normal football system in Pakistan which is a huge country which itself brings a lot of complications as well due to the size of the country,” he added.
Pakistan government wrote a letter to FIFA last month, asking it to send a delegation in order to engage in critical dialogue with the relevant stakeholders
However, FIFA turned down the request and asked the government to provide evidence of the accusations it has labeled on the NC.
“There are some issues and we are having discussions with the Pakistan government. There is a search for the dialogue but we obviously don’t accept interference in sporting matters,” he maintained.
“We want to collaborate always and we hope that with good services from AFC and FIFA in support of the NC, we can overcome the current complicated situation and bring back normality and football the way that Pakistan deserves it,” he concluded.
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