Pakistan football rocked by lifetime bans on ‘rebel’ officials

LAHORE: Pakistan’s football governing body imposed lifetime bans on 22 former officials for their involvement in creating a parallel association and orchestrating a hostile takeover of the federation’s offices, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said.

According to the “Geo News”, the PFF Disciplinary Committee comprehensively reviewed the case. The committee determined that the banned officials had violated article 70 of the PFF constitution.

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The committee stated that by forming a breakaway organisation, the officials violated article 70. This was deemed detrimental to the unity and governance of the sport in the country.

Among those facing the harshest punishment are prominent figures such as Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, Muhammad Noman from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Syed Zahir Shah, and Malik Muhammad Aamir Dogar, whom the committee said played key roles in the establishment of the parallel association.

In addition to the lifetime bans from all football-related activities, the committee has also declared the banned officials as persona non grata, effectively barring them from any involvement in the sport.

The disciplinary action also extends to those implicated in the alleged attack on the PFF headquarters and the subsequent takeover of the offices on March 27, 2021, an incident that led to Pakistan’s suspension from world governing body FIFA.

Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, Muhammad Naveed Akram, and Sardar Naveed Haider are among those who have received lifetime bans for their roles in the hostile takeover, the PFF said.

The federation instructed all its affiliated units and departments to enforce the committee’s decision without exception, warning that any affiliate attempting to establish contact with the banned officials will face penalties.

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The PFF Secretariat has also been tasked with immediately communicating the decision to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).