Election process and football activities making rapid progress in Pakistan: Haroon Malik [The Nation]

Election process and football activities making rapid progress in Pakistan: Haroon Malik [The Nation]

Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) elections and football activities have been making rapid progress in the country and this will gradually help Pakistan football and footballers to earn due recognition across the world.

In a press briefing held here at the FIFA Football House on Thursday, PFF Normalisation Committee Chairman Haroon Malik, flanked by NC member Shahid Niaz Khokhar, said: “Pakistan football has been moving in the right direction, along with restoring normal activities and making positive progress for transparent elections as per mandate.

“Almost 4000 clubs have now been registered under Pakistan Football Connect while 1737 users have been given access. However, 1074 users have started using the website. Unfortunately, due to recent floods and difficulty in accessing the internet, some clubs and academies are still unaware of Pakistan Football Connect but we are trying to provide guidance and all possible support. The last date of registration is 15th December 2022.

He said that as the national women’s football team played an international event after a gap of eight years, the tryouts of women were held in different cities in Pakistan. Soon the camp is going to start as the women’s team is all set to take part in the four-nation tournament in Saudi Arabia.

“The hosts Saudi Arabia will play against Pakistan and two other countries. The tournament kicks off on the 11th of January and lasts till the 19th of January 2023. The tournament will be a part of SAFF’s football strategy of developing and up-skilling women’s football as well as connecting continents of Africa and Asia.”

He further said: “We participated in the FIFA Executive Summit on the eve of the FIFA World Cup 2022 opening and the international community expressed happiness over the restoration of football activities in Pakistan. With the support and encouragement of important members of FIFA, we will try to improve things for the promotion of sports in the country. 

“The powerhouses of football showed deep interest in Pakistan football and corroborated the PFF NC of their all-out support for a better future for Pakistan football. The good ties with the international community will prove fruitful for domestic football in the country,” Haroon Malik concluded. 

Member Normalisation Committee Shahid Niaz Khokhar said: “We are glad to inform you that Pakistan successfully conducted a Futsal Level-I Coaching Course in Pakistan. The course was done in two sessions and 15 participants took part in each session. This course will have a profound effect on Pakistan Futsal,” he added.

Published in The Nation, 1 December 2022