Implementation of NC’s findings can put Pakistan football on road to success and stability: Khokhar

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LAHORE: Implementation of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Normalization Committee (NC) findings could pave the way for stability and success in Pakistan’s football scene.

This was stated by senior member of Haroon Malik-led NC, Shahid Khokhar, during an informal discussion ahead of the extraordinary meeting of the PFF Congress on January 23.

The PFFNC, mandated by FIFA, was tasked with reviving Pakistan’s football system after years of mismanagement and infighting. When FIFA appointed the committee in 2021, Pakistan football was in disarray, due to organizational chaos, lack of infrastructure and inadequate support for grassroots players.

Khokhar remarked: “NC accepted this monumental challenge as a national duty, working tirelessly to restore discipline and meet FIFA’s expectations under extremely difficult conditions.”

The situation was worsened by factionalism, particularly the Ashfaq group’s 20-month occupation of FIFA House in Lahore, which hampered the NC’s progress.

Despite these setbacks, NC remained committed to its mission, focusing on both organizational reform and football development. Despite its core mandate of conducting free and fair elections, the NC has taken several steps to ensure continuity and progress in Pakistan football.

NC has successfully organized and supervised both domestic and international tournaments, including: FIFA World Cup Qualifiers (Round 1 & 2), SAFF Championship 2023, Six Nations Cup 2023, U-19 and U-16 SAFF Championship.

These events provided significant exposure for Pakistani players and confirmed the country’s presence on the global football map. The NC introduced the FIFA Connect program to digitize the registration of football clubs, eliminate ghost clubs and bring real clubs into the system.

Registration help centers and mobile van services were set up, especially for remote areas, to facilitate the process. Matches were held to verify club activities and ensure only legitimate clubs participated in district elections.

The NC has conducted the district level elections and is now gearing up for the provincial elections, which will lead to the final PFF elections. The aim of this step-by-step process is to establish a democratically elected football body capable of effectively governing the game. For the first time, Pakistan’s football system has been digitized. The NC created a comprehensive database of clubs, players and officials, overcoming the lack of proper records that had plagued the system for decades.

Khokhar stressed the importance of learning from the mistakes of the past, which had crippled Pakistan football for nearly 15 years. He highlighted the NC’s efforts to establish a professional framework that ensures transparency, efficiency and development.

He also emphasized the role of departmental teams as key stakeholders in the promotion of football across the country and hoped that their support would continue under the new leadership.

Khokhar urged the incoming PFF leadership to implement the findings and recommendations of the NC as a basis for future success. He hoped that FIFA would encourage the newly elected PFF to prioritize these reforms to prevent a repeat of the organizational crises of the past.

“PFF NC has laid the foundation,” said Khokhar. It is now up to the new leadership to build on this foundation and take Pakistan football to new heights. “The Normalization Committee has made remarkable progress in addressing deep-rooted issues within Pakistan football.

With a digitized structure, transparent processes, and a roadmap for professionalization, the stage is set for a bright future. Khokhar concluded that the ball is now in the incoming PFF leadership’s court to maintain the momentum and steer the game towards long-term stability and success.