KARACHI, Aug 1: Sindh Football Association (SFA) on Friday challenged the forthcoming Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) elections, saying they are illegal and not being held under the national sports policy.

SFA appealed to the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) urging it to tell the PFF to cancel the elections which were to be conducted defying government orders by ignoring the national sports policy.

SFA, formed under the new sports policy and headed by Haji Mohammad Murad Kalhoro, was apprehensive that the present PFF hierarchy in order to get another term had created ambiguity by announcing the elections schedule.

The general-secretary of the SFA, Imam Bukhsh Baloch, said in a statement as per national sports policy the number of voters was 33, while PFF was following the defunct system with 21 voters.

SFA claimed that PFF secretary Agha Liaquat had succeeded in securing representation from Pishin after the elections held under the sports policy, while the PFF polls were not being conducted under the same policy.

The association questioned how the polls could be held as the elections in some districts of Balochistan were yet to be conducted.

Imam Bukhsh alleged that Liaquat in connivance with PFF president Mian Mohammad Azhar and vice-president Ghulam Abbas Baloch, had held illegal and rigged elections in 1995 and 1999.

“Now they (PFF officials) are trying to repeat the process by holding illegal elections on Aug 28. It is necessary that PSB should asked the PFF to cancel the programme, dissolve PFF and ad hoc be imposed,” the SFA official said.

He said the forthcoming elections were a conspiracy hatched by the PFF officials to pit Pakistan government against sport’s world governing body FIFA.

“PFF is trying to hold the elections and might send the names of the elected office-bearers to FIFA. As the elections are not being held under the sports policy, they will not be considered legal by the government. It will lead to a confrontation between the government and FIFA,” the official said.

However, it has been learnt that both Mian Azhar and Liaquat will be eliminated even if the elections are not held under the sports policy. The PFF is likely to have a new president, secretary and treasurer after this month’s elections.

Football, undoubtedly the most popular game watched and played by millions around the world, is ailing in Pakistan, chiefly because of mismanagement, internal bickering, politics and unprofessional attitude of the officials at the helm.

Ironically, PFF has been provided one million dollars by FIFA under its Financial Aid Programme (FAP) from 1999 to 2002. FIFA has decided to continue the grant for another four years from 2003 to 2006.

The hefty funds were for youth and infrastructure development, but PFF has failed to check abysmal decline of the sport during the last four years as the country still lacks adequate infrastructure including stadia, training fields and an academy.

Apart from FAP, PFF was also chosen for FIFA’s $400,000 Goal Project. However, the PFF is still in the process of seeking a piece of land for constructing a Football House. FIFA could have raised the amount to $650,000 had PFF not showed slackness.