After years of crisis, courtrooms, and committees, Pakistan football finally has an elected president. Mohsen Gilani emerged victorious in the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) presidential elections on Tuesday, securing a narrow but decisive win over rival Taha Alizai in the second round of voting.
In the first round, Gilani led the count with 13 votes, while Alizai followed closely with 11. However, neither candidate was able to secure the two-thirds majority (16 votes) required to win outright. That pushed the contest into a second round, where only a simple majority of 13 votes was needed to secure the presidency.
Mohsen Gilani maintained his earlier support and claimed the 13-11 win, becoming the first elected PFF president in over a decade.
Gilani’s win ends a prolonged period of instability for Pakistan football, which had been governed by FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committees since 2019. Multiple iterations of the NC, internal rifts, and government interference had stalled elections and paralyzed the country’s football structure.
The election process was conducted under FIFA oversight, with a 24-member Congress casting votes. The result is expected to be recognized internationally, a crucial step towards Pakistan’s return to the global footballing fold.
Mohsen Gilani, a former FIFA development officer, had formed a coalition with Hafiz Zakaullah in the days leading up to the vote, shoring up his numbers to challenge Alizai, who entered the contest as the early front-runner.
As president, Gilani now faces the mountainous task of rebuilding trust within Pakistan’s fragmented footballing community and re-establishing PFF’s operational credibility with FIFA and AFC. He will also need to work on reviving domestic competitions and launching long-overdue grassroots and youth development programs.
And perhaps most urgently, preparing a national team calendar that’s been stagnant for years.
Gilani’s administration will also be closely watched for how it handles women’s football, coach education, infrastructure development, and transparency, areas that have historically been neglected.
The PFF elections mark the start of a new chapter, but challenges remain. Gilani’s win is both a political and symbolic victory, putting football people back at the helm of the sport in Pakistan. Whether this leads to meaningful change on the ground remains to be seen—but for now, the sport has a direction, and for the first time in years, a president chosen by vote.