LAHORE, Sept 27: President of the Pakistan Volleyball Federation (PVF) Chaudhry Mohammad Yaqoob has threatened to file a case in the court of law against those elements that sabotaged the country’s participation in the Asian Volleyball Championship which is going to start in the UAE from Saturday (today).

The Pakistan team was to leave for the UAE on Thursday to take part in the championship but the federation received a bombshell at the eleventh that Pakistan had been excluded from the event on the request of the volleyball’s parallel body.

“The members of national team as well as the Pakistan Volleyball Federation would sue this illegal parallel body for damages in the court of law,” Yaqoob said in a press statement on Friday.

“The Asian Volleyball Federation had invited Pakistan in the championship in which 24 countries are participating. As the visa process was on, a parallel body of volleyball headed by Zafar Abbas Lak informed the Asian body that Pakistan has pulled out its team from the event,” Yaqoob stated.

“Though we reminded the Asian federation that no such decision has been taken by the genuine body of the PVF, they expressed their inability to allow Pakistan team to participate in the event because it could not change the schedule of matches within such a short time,” he disclosed.

“Upon query, it was learnt that a fake and illegal body of the PVF wrote to the UAE Volleyball Association that the Pakistan team has been withdrawn from this championship.

“A lot of damage has been caused to Pakistan team, its players, and to the national prestige due to the mischief of elements who have no interest in the promotion of the game in the country,” said Yaqoob.

He said the players of the national team were greatly disappointed over the development since they had done hard training for the competition.

Meanwhile, leading players namely Naseer Ahmad, Mohib Rasool, Mohammad Zaman also expressed their disappointment over not being part of such a big event of Asia and denounced the act of the illegal body. The PVF also hit hard at the attitude of Pakistan Sports Board Director General Amir Hamza Gillani as controversial. They said Hamza’s cases of corruption were already under enquiry by FIA and he was promoting the parallel bodies in the national sports federations.