KARACHI: The Pakistan Football Federation Normalization Committee finally released the much-awaited preliminary results of the elections in 75 districts nationwide on Wednesday, twelve days after the voting period ended. This marks the second significant step toward having an elected PFF, following the completion of club registration and scrutiny.
The PFF NC stated that there was considerable animosity among the stakeholders following the release of the initial list and that the final list of elected officials will be revealed following a two-day opportunity for appeals.
The PFF NC declared in a news release that “over 90% of voters participated in the electoral process” and promised that elections in the remaining districts would take place following Eid-ul-Fitr.
“The people have been officially elected to lead and represent their areas in things pertaining to football development and administration after a comprehensive electoral procedure.
Two days are set out for appeals in accordance with the values of justice and openness. Any issues or disagreements pertaining to the election process can be discussed and suitably settled during this time. The final list of elected officials will be released following the decision on the appeals.
The path to the elections has been a drawn-out one, even though the world football body designated the NC in September 2019 to oversee matters. Pakistani football has spent the better part of the last ten years entangled in scandal and turmoil.
The PFF Constitution was violated by the NC in order to grant newly registered clubs the opportunity to vote in the district elections, and the club registration and inspection process took an unbearably lengthy period.
The NC’s action infuriated the stakeholders, some of whom claimed that it had deprived established clubs of their right to vote. The constitution stipulates that newly-registered clubs must wait two years before being granted the ability to vote.
“We have initiated an appeals process after they struck off 15 long-standing clubs in Islamabad,” a contestant under the direction of former PFF head Ashfaq Hussain Shah told Dawn on Wednesday.
After taking over the PFF headquarters in April 2021, Ashfaq’s group has accused the Haroon Malik-led NC of conspiring against it. As a result, Pakistan was suspended by FIFA for a period of 15 months.
The member said, “The Islamabad Football Association has the status of a provincial association, but the NC has also proclaimed Islamabad a district.
The defeated party in Rawalpindi alleged that there was a tie in the votes. On Wednesday, a member informed Dawn, “We have the proof that we have exactly half of the votes and we’re going into appeal.”
Nonetheless, some well-known candidates were elected from their districts according to the preliminary results.
Syed Zahir Ali Shah, a former senior vice president of the PFF who is standing for president, expressed his hope to Dawn that the polls in the other districts would take place shortly. Shah was elected from Peshawar.
There was a tie in the ballots, according to the defeated party in Rawalpindi. Dawn received word on Wednesday from a member that “we have the proof that we have exactly half of the votes and we’re going into appeal.”
However, the first results showed that some well-known candidates were elected from their districts.
Former PFF senior vice president Syed Zahir Ali Shah, who is running for president, told Dawn he hoped the polls in the other districts would happen soon. Shah, a Peshawar native, was chosen.
The president of Batkhela XI and injured party, Jameel Islam, claims that Nauman appointed himself as his club’s president so that he could run for the district elections from Malakand.
A regretful Jameel said Dawn on Wednesday, “The PFF legal committee has done nothing despite the submission of all the documents.” “The case has been pending with them for the last three months, but nothing has been done about it.”
Additionally, Nauman was charged by Jameel with “fielding bogus clubs during club scrutiny and they were all registered.” Additionally, he provided papers announcing his election as Batkhela XI president.
In other news, Karachi South’s Nasir Karim Baloch emerged victorious in the presidential race and declared that his team won “despite several newly-registered clubs” being joined.
“We received nearly 100 votes out of 113,” he informed Dawn.
According to the PFF NC, there will be re-elections in certain districts because of ties, and the results of the Karachi Malir poll would be revealed later.
Following the conclusion of elections in each district, the district presidents will choose the provincial football association board. Each of the four provinces, Sindh, Punjab, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, send three representatives each, and one representative from the IFA joins the PFF Congress.
The Pakistan Football Referees Association and the National Women’s Championship champion each have one vote, and the Congress elects three additional members to make a quorum of 26, which elects the PFF president.
