KARACHI, Dec 30: Football fortunes took a nose-dive during 2003 with Pakistan facing total humiliation on the field despite a change in national soccer federation’s hierarchy that proved to be same old wine in a new bottle.

The change of guards in the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) after August’s elections was the main feature that had raised the expectations of betterment of the sport.

The fascinating game, which mesmerises millions of followers world over, was on the rack during former president Mian Mohammad Azhar and secretary Agha Liaquat Ali’s tenure. But it hardly saw signs of improvement after the new set of officials took control last August.

The pair of former top officials paid scant respect to the game and the players, focussing more on their political commitments. But the new PFF chief Faisal Saleh Hayat and secretary Arshad Lodhi being the federal interior minister and Punjab agriculture minister, seemed to follow their predecessors.

The most significant was the point that the elections were not held according to government-approved new sports policy. It was basically because Azhar-Liaquat duo did not amend PFF constitution to make it in accordance with the sports policy.

However, the most surprising was the silence maintained by the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB), the body that is not only meant to control sports in the country, but also enforce the new sports policy.

But before Faisal and Arshad took the charge, Azhar and Liaquat were the first to initiate the destruction by announcing a selection committee soon after the exit of Asian Football Confederation (AFC) coaches.

And the new PFF bosses opted to maintain the “old soccer tradition” in Pakistan with announcing a new selection committee that has started causing complications.

The presence of selectors is obviously connected with the local coaches who have no say in the selection process, while AFC coaches were provided on the condition that there would be no selection committee.

The local coaches using every means at their disposal to get back into the system during the tenure of foreign coaches, also showed their true colours.

Tariq Lutfi, who does not have a major victory to his credit during his entire coaching career, was given the charge of the senior side that fared badly in its first assignment — SAFF Gold Cup in Dhaka.

The team won the league matches, but crumbled when it should have delivered as tiny Maldives edged out Pakistan 1-0 in the semifinal. Pakistan eventually finished fourth after being beaten 2-1 by arch-rivals India in the third place playoff.

Tariq refused to coach Under-20 team but chose to tour Singapore from where the team returned after a 3-0 victory over minnows Macao and a 3-0 thrashing by hosts at Asia Cup qualifiers.

Interestingly, Tariq was later involved in training of an Under-20 squad for the Asian championship qualifiers and even the selection of probables for SAF Games.

Yet there was more humiliation as Tariq’s side gave pathetic showing against lowly-rated Kyrgyzstan when the central Asian state drubbed them 2-0 in Karachi before a 4-0 triumph in World Cup pre-qualifying away game in Bishkek.

Surprisingly, PFF invited the controversial coach to assist the new chief coach from China Wang Xiao He for SAF Games training camp in Lahore, although inquiry is pending against him.

The junior Pakistan side, which had showed lots of promise during the last three years under AFC’s British coach John Layton, performed as badly as the seniors.

Under coach Siddiq Sheikh, the Under-20 side gave a miserable performance at Asian championship qualifying round in Dhaka. The juniors first lost to Bangladesh 1-0 and were thrashed 3-0 by Nepal and failed to advance to the main round.

Soccer lovers’ hopes that game would flourish after the elections went into smoke when situation in Balochistan and Sindh did not change much. Claims by some officials that problem relating to parallel body in Balochistan has been solved proved wrong as infighting among the two groups continues.

Scenario in Sindh is not different as there exist two associations simultaneously with one having affiliation with PFF and the other being backed by Sindh Sports Board.

Although PFF has vowed to kick off FIFA’s Goal Project in January, it is yet to be seen whether it would be able to meet the new deadline for the delayed project.

If PFF chooses to maintain the same trend, lack of sincerity and commitment, football is bound to further decline in 2004.