July 04, 2007	Wednesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 18, 1428

LAHORE, July 3: Former secretary of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) Arshad Khan Lodhi has written a letter to FIFA and the AFC urging them to stop the PFF from holding its elections, asserting it is a sheer violation of the international bodies’ rules and that of its (PFF) own constitution.

Arshad, in his letter written on June 28 and addressed to FIFA and the AFC general secretaries and their directors legal divisions, besides trying to convince the world bodies to ask the PFF not to hold its elections without providing all the affiliated units a chance to contest those, also levelled serious allegations against the PFF president for his unconstitutional practices.

Arshad, who was elected as president of the Punjab Football Association (PFA) in April, but the results could not be announced as a rival group had moved a court of law against the elections.

As the case is still pending with the Lahore High Court (LHC) the provincial body claims that it is not in a position to send its three representatives to elect the PFF’s new office-bearers on July 14.

But the PFF has decided to hold its elections on the given date.

The PFF had already declared that its current President Faisal Saleh Hayat had been re-elected for the next four years, since no nomination was received against him on the deadline. The elections on other seats, however, will be held on July 14.

“I have contested in the PFA elections as president and won it overwhelmingly, despite Faisal had appointed his very close relative as the election convener in Punjab,” Arshad wrote in his letter.

“The PFF president tried to keep me away from the federation’s elections by announcing the date of elections (July 14), despite the fact the matter is still in the court. Under the circumstances, I cannot recommend three representatives in the PFF congress vide Article 90 Para (e) of the new constitution,” he added.

He said that despite the fact the case was in the court, the PFF president wrote him two letters through ‘illegally appointed’ paid general secretary of the federation, asking to send three nominations, which he could not do to avoid contempt of the court.

“But instead of postponing the elections the general secretary announced Faisal as unopposed president of the PFF two months before the actual date of the elections i.e. July 14 which is illegal and not understandable,” he said.

“The paid general secretary also informed FIFA and also got felicitations over Faisal’s re-election, thereby tarnishing the image of FIFA as the results have to be announced by the chief election commissioner,” he stated.

“This is a clear violation of the article 38 para-4 of the new PFF constitution under which the PFF is bound to notify the names of congress members along with the names of proposed candidates but nothing has been announced so far which is a clear breach of FIFA/AFC rules,” he insisted.

“In the light of above mentioned facts it is requested to maintain the sanctity of the new constitution and notification of Faisal as unopposed next president PFF unilaterally and two months before the election dates, may be ordered to be withdrawn and new dates to be announced after the decision of the Lahore High Court,” Arshad requested to FIFA and the AFC.

Moreover, he alleged that the PFF president made changes in the constitution by his own after getting the draft from the six-member committee which prepared the new constitution and handed it over on Dec 22, 2006 to the federation, only to safeguard his own interest. No member was intimated about the changes and the draft was e-mailed to the FIFA secretariat on Jan 31, 2007 by a PFF clerk M Khalil instead of the then general secretary (Arshad Lodhi).

“On Jan 12, FIFA forwarded a letter in my name by accepting the draft constitution sent by the president. The draft could not be submitted to me and any other member of the constitution committee,” he said.

“According to the constitution the ratification and implementation dates were different as in the case of FIFA and the AFC statutes, but contrary to the fact the ratification and implementation of the new constitution were held on the same date, which also made my exit from the PFF,” Arshad wrote.