ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Mohammad Sadiq Sanjrani on Wednesday said a delegation of Pakistan would meet the visiting FIFA officials to apprise the football’s world governing body of the ground realities of the game in the country.

FIFA on Saturday announced that it would appoint a committee, named Normalisation Committee, for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) whose ultimate task is to hold elections of the country’s football governing body and bring an end to a four-year crisis that resulted in Pakistan suffering significantly in the game.

Presiding over a special committee of Senate constituted for the promotion of football in the country, Sanjrani on Wednesday said there is a need to resolve the issues concerning Pakistan football for which, he emphasised, an active interaction with FIFA was required.

“Concrete and practical measures are required for promoting football in the country,” the Senate chairman said, adding that a representative delegation of Pakistan would meet the visiting FIFA officials to apprise the sports body of the ground realities of the game in the country.

Sanjrani asked Senator Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif to devise a plan for taking up various issues with FIFA in consultation with the PFF and other stakeholders.

The meeting was attended by Senators Dr Asad Ashraf, Mirza Mohammad Afridi, Ahmed Khan, Barrister Saif, PFF president Ashfaq Hussain Shah, Pakistan Sports Board director general Arif Ibrahim and representatives of different organisations associated with football.

“Internal disputes must be resolved for promotion of football in addition to provision of quality infrastructure and organising regular tournaments for creating awareness about this very significant sport,” insisted Sanjrani.

He further said that not only the PFF and the Pakistan Sports Board should collaborate their efforts but the private sector should also be involved for the game’s progress in the country.

Sanjrani said first priority is to seek the cooperation of private sector for developing football infrastructure and organising tournaments across the country with financial assistance from corporate sector.

Ashfaq told the meeting that different issues have been discussed with FIFA, however, the game’s world governing body needs to be apprised of the ground realities on the situation of football in Pakistan.

Senate chairman constituted a subcommittee headed by Senator Mirza Mohammad Afridi to prepare a comprehensive plan for promoting football in the country in consultation with all stakeholders and relevant organisations with the involvement of private sector.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2019