May 9, 2003	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1424

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LAHORE, May 8: Slackness on the part of top Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officials has put the proposed soccer national league in doldrums despite huge funds available.

PFF has been repeatedly asked by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to launch the league. It was in 2001 the PFF was first directed by the Asian body to start the league.

But the PFF failed to comply the orders and now the AFC has given last chance to the PFF to initiate the league this year.

The reason for the failure PFF first gave was lack of sponsorships but game’s world ruling body FIFA allowed it last December to utilise the funds given to Pakistan under Financial Assistance Programme (FAP).

Pakistan was selected for the one-million-dollar grant in 1999 for a four-year period, and then FIFA announced another package of the same amount last year. PFF gets $250,000 annual instalments from FIFA.

The national league is one of the major requirements to expand the base of the game in the underdeveloped countries being helped by FIFA and AFC.

Former national coach Jozef Herel before leaving for his home country had recommended to commence the league. He had pointed out that a player needs 50 to 60 matches a year, whereas in Pakistan a footballer plays hardly 10 or 11 matches annually.

The lack of activity was one of the major problems Pakistan football was facing, Herel had said.

Currently, there is barely a pool of 50 players of which senior, junior and Under-17 teams are being formed for different international assignments.

Luckily, PFF president Mian Mohammad Azhar, secretary Agha Liaquat Ali and treasurer Aamir Mahmood, all are financially sound and they can contribute a lot in game’s promotion.

Ironically, all have their own priorities and have no time for the sport. Azhar is a political leader, Liaquat has a chain of private businesses, Aamir is the district Nazim of Lahore.

Aamir’s lack of interest could be judged that he could not acquire a piece of land for national football academy, while he was the sole authority for allocating the land.

The football academy is part of Goal Project under which FIFA is willing to provide at least 650,000 dollars.

A piece of land had been selected in Lahore’s Johar Town but its fate is yet to be known.

Punjab Chief Minister Pervez Elahi has recently ordered Aamir to allocate five-acre land for a separate stadium for the blind cricket team.

It should not be difficult for Amir to arrange a plot for the football academy which must be his first priority being a former footballer and the treasurer of the national soccer federation.