Pakistan Football Federation, Normalization Committee, might face hurdles in arranging the National Challenge Cup, Final Round, as football departments urge an additional two-week timeframe to prepare their squads, according to reports.
The departments want additional time to get the approval of their top professionals and make the players match fit.
“I think NC should delay the event for at least two weeks and it should give teams enough time for preparation,” a senior official of a major state-owned department told local media on Wednesday.
NC announced that the round of 16, onwards, of the National Challenge Cup, would be held in Lahore from May 1-12.
“For a long time, teams have been inactive and if you announce it in Eid days that the event will be held from May 1-12, so it really creates issues. You don’t inform departments officially by sending emails to them and you announce it on social media. It’s ridiculous,” the official said.
The official reiterated, “You know offices were closed. The issue is that we received a letter from our directorate that when there is an event then we have to intimate it 40 days in advance. “You know a department needs time to manage budget, logistics and make other arrangements.”
The official was of the view that the NC should be announcing the event at a notice of at least one and a half month. The NC was contacted by the department but it didn’t reply for the allotment of additional time.
The format of the event is likely to be altered with the 16 teams expected to be drawn in four groups.
