May 23, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 06, 1428

LAHORE, May 22: Former secretary of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Hafiz Salman Butt has urged the federation to concentrate on those steps that would help in improving Pakistan’s international ranking, which has declined to 182.

Salman said on Tuesday the PFF should give preference to the senior team aimed at improving the international ranking.

The PFF is currently focusing on its Under-21 team with a hope to turn them into a strong side in future. Last year, Pakistan’s ranking was 154, but it has now declined to 182, since Pakistan have no international activity.

Salman said the PFF should immediately hire the services of a coach either from Iran, Korea, Japan or Europe to hone the skills of the Pakistan team.

Lashing out at the functioning of the PFF secretariat in Lahore, Salman said it is ruining the good work done by the PFF President Faisal Saleh Hayat.

He also expressed his concern over the way the PFF held the elections at the provincial level.

The PFF had completed elections in three provinces. The elections in Punjab had been challenged in the Lahore High Court. Since the elections are pending in the biggest province of the country, Faisal Saleh Hayat had not announced the elections of the federation for July 14, but he had also been ‘elected’, as the PFF president for the next four years, thanks to a constitutional amendment he had made in March.

According to the new amendment, a candidate for the post of president has to submit his nomination papers two months before the elections. But the PFF did not receive any nomination, except that of Faisal, till May 14.