Lahore - The Football Community of Pakistan, including the organizers and footballers, came out against the prolonged football crisis in Pakistan and demanded the Ashfaq Group to vacate the PFF House immediately.
Addressing a press conference here at the SJAL office on Thursday, all the true stakeholders of Pakistan football demanded Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah and Malik Amir Dogar group to unconditionally vacate the FIFA House as per FIFA instructions, saying that if the control is not returned to the PFF normalization committee by November 10, they will hold a sit-in in front of the PFF Headquarters in Lahore.
The football representatives from Islamabad, all four provinces, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan including Irfan Khan Niazi from Islamabad, Saeed Khan Taqqo, former Secretary from Balochistan, Azam Khan former Secretary Sindh FA, Ali Bihar Brohi from Jacobabad, Muhammad Azeem from Gilgit-Baltistan, former legendary player Saleem Patni, former official referee association Muhammad Shafiq were present on the occasion to represent the football community of Pakistan.
Speaking on the behalf of the participants, Saeed Khan Taqqo said: “We are the actual stakeholders who are suffering the loss, facing the deprived players, coaches & referees, and facing embarrassment every day. It is cruel to keep another generation of young footballers out of the international arena. It would be a criminal silence not to speak now.
“FIFA provides huge funds for the development of the game. He added that the future of thousands of footballers has been plunged into darkness due to the football crisis in Pakistan since 2015; the game is on the brink of disaster due to FIFA sanctions,” he added.
Taqqo further said that the only aim of the participants present at the press conference is to bring international football back into Pakistan and put the sport on the right track where it could reach a respectable destination.
“On March 27, many of my colleagues, including me, who went to the FIFA house, were unaware that the Ashfaq Group wanted to take over FIFA House which led to the suspension of Pakistan’s FIFA membership and the loss of international events, now Pakistan remains the only suspended country in the world. We have repeatedly tried to convince Malik Mohammad Amir Dogar and Syed Ashfaq Hussain group members that the occupation of FIFA house is wreaking havoc on Pakistani football,” Taqqo asserted.
He added that the Pakistan football community will boycott any elections that are not recognized by FIFA and AFC. If such elections are held and accepted by us, Pakistan will remain suspended until 2028.
“According to the Normalization Committee, it has presented a roadmap to the Government; the document should also be shared with the football community. Free, fair, and transparent elections are the only solution to the crisis. We demand NC to form an advisory committee of all stakeholders,” he informed the journalists.
The participants warned the illegal occupants to evacuate PFF headquarters by November 10, 2021, and hand over to FIFA’s designated Normalization Committee; otherwise, thousands of football enthusiasts, organizers, and footballers will hold a sit-in in front of FIFA House Lahore until their demands are met.