The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has urged the Normalization Committee (NC) of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to cancel its plans for an Extraordinary Congress meeting on November 19, advising instead to adhere to the constitutionally mandated process of first notifying office-bearers from provincial associations.
In a pointed letter to NC’s Chairman Haroon Malik, the Pakistan Sports Board questioned Malik’s portrayal of himself as the PFF president, a role that remains unfilled under PFF’s current legal framework.
“Without an officially recognized PFF president, convening an Extraordinary Congress meeting is a direct violation of the PFF’s Constitution,” stated the PSB.
The PSB further emphasized that provincial association representatives have yet to be officially notified, making the Congress incomplete. “Calling this meeting without notifying these office-bearers is not only undemocratic but also illegal,” the letter read.
The PSB raised concerns about Malik’s portrayal as PFF’s president, as referenced in his letter dated November 5, 2024. “This contradicts FIFA’s mandate, which appointed you solely to chair the NC and oversee the election process, not to assume the PFF presidency,” the PSB asserted.
Appointed to guide the PFF through essential operations, club registrations, and fair elections, Malik and the NC now appear, according to the PSB, to be overstepping into legislative powers that could transform the NC into a policymaking entity.
The PSB’s letter warned that the NC’s decision to hold an Extraordinary Congress risks destabilizing football governance in Pakistan.
They also raised concerns over undisclosed changes to the PFF Constitution, stating such amendments could potentially position Malik as a candidate for the PFF presidency, raising “a clear conflict of interest and a violation of the IOC’s principles of good governance.”
Adding to its concerns, the PSB voiced unease over reports of a FIFA and AFC delegation attending the Extraordinary Congress, a move that it suggested might be used by the NC to justify controversial constitutional amendments potentially favoring particular factions.
PFF and PSB have butted heads before and the chasm is likely to grow through these recent litigious developments.