KARACHI: Due to lack of funds due to the normalization committee of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), young Pakistani footballers have missed out on another important event.
Pakistan team has withdrawn from the upcoming SAFF U20 Football Championship to be held in Nepal.
The championship is scheduled to be held from August 18 to 28 in Kathmandu, for which the Pakistan football team has been waiting for FIFA funding.
When FIFA received no response, the PFF informed the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) that it was withdrawing from the event. As a result, new draws have been issued for the SAFF Under-20 Championship.
A senior official from PFF confirmed to Geo News that they pulled out of the event due to lack of funds. The official said the PFF had written to FIFA in May for funds to participate in three events – SAFF U17, SAFF U20 and SAFF Women’s Championship.
However, FIFA did not respond. The official added that if funds are not provided, it will be difficult to participate in the SAFF Under-17 and Women’s Championships as well.
Sources say PFF is asking for around $200,000 per action. Football circles suggest that instead of relying on FIFA funding, the PFF could secure the amount through sponsors.
On the other hand, sources say that by organizing the recent FIFA qualifier matches, PFF generated an income of over Rs. 10 million from various routes.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s football stakeholders urged the PFF’s normalization committee to avoid involving companies related to the men’s and women’s football and futsal leagues and prioritize elections instead.
Stakeholders said the NC’s mandate will expire on December 15. They said she should focus on completing the elections instead of being interested in engaging companies for leagues that she cannot hold due to lack of time.
They said it was the right of the newly elected body to deal with these matters. Former PFF official Naveed Haider said that it is not the mandate of NC to do such things.
