FIFA may take six weeks to appoint normalisation committee members

KARACHI: The world football governing body (FIFA) may take a minimum of six weeks to appoint members of the normalisation committee which it has announced to resolve Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) issues, a source close to the matter claimed on Monday.

“I think it may take six weeks. The FIFA official will come here and will conduct interviews of the people for the committee,” the source said. FIFA a few days ago announced that it would appoint a normalisation committee for the PFF in order to resolve the conflict which has inflicted an unprecedented damage on Pakistan’s football in the last five years.

The committee will be responsible for running day-to-day affairs of Pakistan football. During its nine-month mandate, which will begin from the day when its members are appointed, it will have to conduct club scrutiny, elections at the district and provincial levels and then the PFF polls.

FIFA has also made it clear that the PFF constitution will be revised after the new PFF ExCo is formed during the stipulated time-frame. The source said that the selection of the members of the committee will be made by FIFA and it will be a neutral process.

With the announcement of FIFA that it has decided to appoint a normalisation committee the PFF ExCO stands dissolved. However, the set-up at the district and provincial level will remain intact.

The elections will be held under the current PFF constitution. FIFA’s decision came after a joint mission of FIFA and AFC met all parties at Lahore near the end of May. Besides meeting with both factions of the federation, the mission also met with the top officials of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA).

Pakistan’s football conflict had emerged in early 2015. In 2017, FIFA had to impose sanctions on Pakistan which were lifted in early 2018. That enabled Pakistan to return to international circuit. They featured in the Asian Games and SAFF Cup before playing an international friendly against Palestine.

After failing to field the team in the Olympic qualifiers in March this year, the former PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat fielded the national team in the World Cup qualifiers first round against Cambodia. Pakistan lost both their away and home legs.