Although football is an internationally recognised popular game, and even considered a sport of masses in our country, yet Pakistan have never been able to achieve a significant international ranking in this game.

Whether this sorry state of affairs is due to the lack of proper domestic infrastructure or the lack of government patronage the game of football in general and the footballers in particular have been the sufferers.

Due to petty politics and infighting in the football federation and forming of parallel federations, Pakistan’s football has been controlled by Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) Normalisation Committee (NC) for quite some time as per a decision of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (more commonly known as FIFA).

Although the PFF NC’s main role is to hold elections, it was also its duty to see Pakistan’s football keep going all the way without any hurdle which included holding of national events and ensuring Pakistan’s participation in international events.

The main thing that has been done by the PFF Normalisation Committee is to introduce FIFA’s Connect Programme, under which all the clubs of the country have been registered in order to discourage bogus and ghost club and encourage real and genuine clubs, which were properly guided, facilitated and helped by the PFF NC’s professional team on the directions of its Chairman PFF NC.

The PFF’s NC has now officially launched the provincial elections phase with the publication of the preliminary voting list.

This marks the next crucial step in the ongoing election process, which will culminate in provincial elections scheduled from September 16 to 18.

The elections will see the participation of 121 successful district football presidents and candidates from across Pakistan. These representatives will be key in shaping the future leadership of football in their respective provinces.

The provincial elections are seen as a critical moment for football in Pakistan, as the elected representatives will play a significant role in the development and governance of the sport at the provincial level.

The elections are part of the broader effort to normalise football governance in Pakistan, which has faced challenges in recent years.

The results of the provincial elections are expected to set the stage for the future of football in Pakistan, with an emphasis on transparency, fair play, and the involvement of key stakeholders from all provinces.

It may be recalled that the Normalisation Committee was entrusted with a delicate and monumental task i.e. to restore the integrity of football governance in Pakistan. The primary objective was to ensure that football operations at all levels were conducted transparently, democratically, and in alignment with FIFA’s global standards.

The PFF NC, under the leadership of Haroon Malik and his team, did their best to achieve the goal assigned to them.

The Pakistan Connect Programme has been a game changer. Through this initiative, local football clubs were registered through a transparent, centralised system. This ensured that only clubs with a genuine existence and operational history were allowed to participate in district-level championships. The programme helped in filtering out non-existent or “paper clubs”, which had previously undermined the integrity of the game.

Moreover, the PFF at Your Doorstep campaign, an outreach programme launched by the NC, extended the Pakistan Connect Programme to even the remotest areas of the country.

The aim was to make sure that football in far-flung regions was not left behind. The initiative encouraged local football enthusiasts and club operators to register their teams and become part of a system that prioritised fairness and transparency.

Following the registration of clubs, the All Pakistan District Championships (APDC) were organised across the country. These championships were not only crucial for rekindling the spirit of competition at the grassroots level but also for ensuring that only legitimate clubs with active participation records could play.

A staggering 121 districts and over 3,000 clubs participated in the APDC matches, with a total of 2198 matches being played across Pakistan. The NC’s efforts ensured that the election process started at the district level with clubs that genuinely represented the footballing community, creating a fair and transparent electoral process.

As the provincial elections approach, the foundation laid by the district-level elections gives hope for a fair and credible outcome.

The district representatives, who were elected by clubs that genuinely exist and operate, will now elect the provincial representatives. This multi-tiered, structured process aims to ensure that only those truly interested in the growth of football come forward to lead.

The upcoming elections represent the most significant step in completing the mandate of the Normalisation Committee. PFF NC’ head Haroon Malik and his team are optimistic that these elections will usher in an era where the game can thrive under capable leadership.

There is cautious optimism within Pakistan’s football fraternity. The hope is that the successful completion of these elections will provide a platform for the game to flourish. The FIFA-mandated Normalisation Committee, through its tireless efforts, has set the stage for a new era of governance in Pakistan football.

For the footballing community, this election offers a glimmer of hope that Pakistan’s football can finally move in the right direction, with leadership that has the experience and passion to take the game forward.