LAHORE/KARACHI: Faisal Saleh Hayat’s group has regained control of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) headquarters. Now, the body recognised by FIFA is hopeful that football’s global body will lift the ban on it.

FIFA, when it imposed the ban in October last year, had said it will lift it once the Hayat-led federation is given back control of its offices and the accounts.

They PFF headquarters, called the FIFA House, and its accounts had been under control of a court-appointed administrator since August 2015 after a dispute broke in the federation ahead of its presidential election in June that year. But after a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld Hayat’s election earlier this week, the administrator relinquished control to the PFF body on Thursday.

“This is a historic decision in our favour,” PFF secretary retired Col Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi told reporters after taking possession. “We are thankful to all the players, coaches, lawyers who stood with us.”

Lodhi entered the PFF office alongside senior vice-president Khadim Ali Shah and marketing consultant Sardar Naveed Haider Khan to the beating of loud drums from their supporters, who showered rose petals upon them.

“The challenge is to recover the loss to the game over the last three years,” added Lodhi. “The president has instructed us to make a comprehensive plan to promote the game and we will try to streamline the affairs in next couple of months.

However, we will need the cooperation of all the stakeholders for it.”

He informed that since FIFA had objected to the court interfering in PFF affairs, the ban would be lifted soon as Hayat had been restored.

There is also the matter of Hayat’s mandate having expired. FIFA, in September 2015, gave Hayat a two-year term to ratify the PFF Statutes and hold fresh elections.

With that term being over, there is a decision for FIFA to make over what it does when it eventually lifts the ban.

There is also a dispute regarding the election of the Punjab Football Association (PFA). That contentious provincial poll in April 2015 saw the PFF break into two factions and in its judgment the LHC also upheld the election of members of a rival faction.

And it has led to concerns how the PFF congress will now shape up. In such a case, with a dispute still there, FIFA usually installs a normalisation committee to resolve matters and hold elections.

FIFA did not respond to queries by Dawn on Thursday whether a normalisation committee would be installed once the ban is lifted.

Lodhi, however, said that it was an issue between the PFF and FIFA to deal with. “FIFA president Gianni Infantino as already congratulated Hayat after the case was won,” he informed.

Khadim, meanwhile, said that all the PFF staff would be welcomed to rejoin the federation.

“The role of FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) was very positive and we are thankful to them,” he said. “We were invited to all Congress meetings and they continued to recognise us as a genuine body of the PFF. FIFA has its own rules and powers and it does not accept the interference of any court or government in its affiliated bodies.”

The rival faction, meanwhile, has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court while also seeking a suspension of the LHC order.

Lodhi, however, wasn’t concerned on Thursday. “That process will take time but crucially for now Hayat has taken charge of the FIFA House.”

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018