LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and secretary Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) retired Col Mujahidullah Tareen has said that PFF’s claim to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup is only a wishful thinking.

“It’s a wishful thinking when the PFF claims that Pakistan will qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup since PFF affairs are being handled by non-technical and incompetent bunch of people who are not sincere in promotion of the game,” he said in a written statement.

“PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat has put together a team of ‘yes men’ who are only worried about their own posts,” he added.

He further said that the way PFF was working it simply could not help the team qualify for World Cup, adding :“Despite running football affairs for 11 years, Pakistan is nowhere in South Asia, let alone qualifying for World Cup. PFF high brass only wants to save their perks they get from the federation until 2022.”

“Although Bahraini coach Shamlan is very hardworking but the national team’s loss in a friendly to KRL which played without their six regular players is troublesome.

“Under the current circumstances if Pakistan qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup it would be a miracle. But it cannot happen in presence of people like Faisal Saleh Hayat who has no vision but promoting his vested interests at the cost of poor Pakistan footballers,” he concluded.