Another deadlock on the cards ahead of PFF Extraordinary Congress meeting

A deadlock on the constitutional amendment between the newly-elected Congress of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) looks imminent.

The Extraordinary Congress meeting has been convened on Friday (tomorrow).

Earlier, it had been convened on January 23 but was delayed for a single day in order to interact with the Congress members separately before the vital virtual sitting on Friday.

During a segregated virtual interaction of FIFA and AFC with the PFF Congress members on Wednesday, majority of the Congress members proposed that the amendments to Article 38 of the PFF Constitution should remain limited to the Congress and provincial Executive Committees (EXCOs).

It means that Congress wants that Executive Committee members of federating units and Islamabad Football Association (IFA) should be given the right to contest for the PFF’s presidency.

The ExCo strength of each province is eight while IFA’s ExCo consists of four individuals which means that Congress wants to limit it to 36 persons.

And FIFA, on the other hand, wants to make the criteria wide open for all.

Nukta has learnt that on Wednesday during separate meetings with the Congress members, FIFA and AFC did not agree with the Congress’s proposition.

According to sources FIFA and AFC said that this proposition cannot be ‘incorporated’ at this point of time.

Sources said that the body language of FIFA and AFC members was not that good and it is evident that the thing will go to the deadlock. Sources said that FIFA also hinted if Congress stands adamant on its stance, it may have some serious repercussions for Pakistan’s football.

However, sources said that, being the sole legislative body, Congress will not bow before FIFA’s pressure and will stick to its stand in the Extraordinary Congress meeting which will be held on Friday (tomorrow).

The representatives of departments, who are Congress members, have also expressed concerns about potential political involvement if the criteria for the presidential elections are broadened as being thought by FIFA and AFC.

According to insiders some Congress members also proposed that the PFF’s elections should be conducted under the 2014 PFF Constitution. However, they are not in majority.

Women members

Sources said that the women Congress members matter was also discussed with FIFA but the world body told the members that it will take a year.

Congress is of the view that it is their prerogative to elect three women members as the constitution is silent on this matter.

But NC has directly put three women in the PFF’s Congress through its chairman’s nomination and FIFA and AFC also have no reservations over this step.

The existing Article 38 of the PFF Constitution limits the eligibility criteria for the PFF’s presidency.

“Candidate for the office of the President PFF shall have played an active role as member PFF Congress, Member PFF Executive Committee, PFF Elected Official, AFC, FIFA for at least 2 of the Preceding 5 years before being proposed as a candidate (i.e. The candidate for President PFF shall have been the member PFF Congress, PFF Executive and PFF Elected Official, AFC, FIFA Official / Member Committee for at least 2 of the preceding last 5 years,” the article says.

On November 19 the PFF Extraordinary Congress meeting had been convened at Lahore’s Pearl Continental Hotel but it was postponed when a few representatives of departments forced their way into the meeting hall telling the meeting that it could not be proceeded without their presence as they are also the Congress members.

On this, FIFA and AFC delegation held a meeting with the PFF Normalization Committee and they decided that the meeting should be postponed. They rather referred the case to the PFF’s disciplinary committee which latter decided the case in favor of departments.

Barring PIA, which did not pursue its case, the Congress membership of Navy, PAF, Police and Railways was restored following their proper hearing conducted by the PFF’s disciplinary committee.

Five departments including PAF, Navy, Police, Railways and PIA had been suspended by NC as Congress members for failure to field their teams in the required number of events. And they had not been invited to the November 19 meeting which was also attended by Rolf Tanner, Head of MA Governance at FIFA, Niren Mukherjee, Head of the Deputy Secretary's Office in the Member Associations Division of AFC and Purushottam Kattel, Head of the South Asian Unit at AFC.

NC’s mandate will expire on February 15 and if any further issues are created then it may compound further Pakistan’s football miseries.