Newly-elected body set to take PFF control

KARACHI: The newly-elected Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is set to take control of the federation from the FIFA-recognised body on Monday (today) at Lahore.

A four-member committee of the newly-elected PFF, comprising the president of Punjab Football Association (PFA) Naveed Haider, secretary of Islamabad Football Association (IFA) Sharafat Bukhari, Executive Committee member Mian Rizwan and legal consultant Chaudhry Zulfiqar, will visit the PFF headquarters in the Punjab capital at 11am today.

The FIFA-recognised PFF top officials, including its secretary Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi, will hand over the control of the federation to the new body as per the Supreme Court instructions.

The apex court on December 24 ordered the FIFA-recognised federation to hand over the control to the new body within one week.

This correspondent learnt that besides other things the control of the ongoing Premier League would also be handed over to the new body which is led by Ashfaq Hussain.

Ashfaq, an engineer by profession, was elected on December 12 during the election conducted in Islamabad by Returning Officer Amir Salim Rana, the Director General of the Human Rights wing of the apex court.

According to sources, the FIFA-recognised PFF has already paid the dues of the teams and officials featuring in the Premier League whose last phase is in process in Karachi.

All the referees have received their match fee until January 11. All their accommodation expenses have also been paid.

The match bonuses of all teams have been paid until December 26 and other relevant dues have been paid until December 30.The dues of three Balochistan-based clubs have also been paid, the sources said.