September 13, 2003	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 12: Optimum utilisation of the funds granted by FIFA and AFC would be ensured and an audit conducted, Faisal Saleh Hayat, the new president of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) announced on Friday.

Speaking after a General Council meeting of the PFF, Faisal said that a sum of $2.5 million, the first tranche of which was released in 2000, would be audited. “We want to start with a clean slate.”

FIFA, the world football’s governing body and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have made the funds available to PFF for training of players and development of the sport.

“We will strive to promote football which sadly has not been able to make the kind of progress that cricket and hockey have made.”

“All members resolved to work towards lifting the standards of the game and we understand that this would not be possible unless the future of the players is secured.”

“We have to provide the players facilities of international standards because without doing so we will be unable to go forward.”

“To improve the state of football, the federal and provincial governments would also be asked to extend help,” said Faisal who was flanked by secretary Arshad Khan Lodhi.

The meeting also formed a selection committee which would be selecting the Pakistan team that is to compete in next month’s under-20s AFC Cup in Bangladesh.

“We will also be focussing on preparing for the SAF Games.”

Another committee, headed by Saeed Khan, which will review the PFF constitution was also formed.

The committee which has Abbas Baloch, Aziz Malik and Arshad Khan Lodhi as members has been asked to submit its report in two months.

Faisal also spoke about coaches. “Although we would like to have foreigners to train our players, our main focus however will be on our own coaches.”

Explaining his point further he said that the home coaches were important because they were the ones who would be teaching the players the basic art of the game.

Faisal, who is also the interior minister, said that it was a challenge for him to lift football out of doldrums but pointed out that media would have to play an important role in this regard.

“Football gets wide coverage worldwide, unfortunately this is not so in our country.”

“I will be requesting the Pakistan Television to show live some of the matches of the forthcoming PFF Cup, including the semifinal and the final as a first step.”

Prominent among those who attended the meeting were Chaudhry Abdul Rashid, Malik Abdul Aziz (Punjab), Ronak Ali Rajput and Ghulam Abbas Baloch (Sindh), Agha Liaquat, Jan Muhammad (Balochistan), Saeed Khan, Zahir Shah, Muhammad Ilyas (NWFP), Hafiz Zohaib Butt (Wapda), Brig. Arif Mahmood Siddiqui (Army), Shaheen Khan (Higher Education Commission), Col. Khalid (Railways) and Wing. Cdr. Pervaiz Mir (PAF).