Pakistan football team’s trip to Saudi Arabia is on the ropes due to the late submission of documents to get a ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) from the Pakistani government. According to an official at the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), it is advised that all federations apply for the NOC six weeks prior to the departure of the athletes.
This should be considered that the national football side qualified for the 2nd round on 17th October which means that the six-week rule was already out of bounds.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was also facing an issue with the Punjab Board of Revenue which resulted in PFF not having its office for the next couple of days after the win over Cambodia on 17th October 2023.
The majority of the players are the same who played against Cambodia last month, so it is baffling to see why it’ll take so long to get the clearance for the NoC. Imran Kayani seems to be the only new addition to the Pakistani squad.
Saudi Arabia will host Pakistan on 16th November 2023 at Damman Stadium for the first match of the 2nd round of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. The green shirts will then return home to face Tajikistan on 21st November 2023.
