ISLAMABAD, Nov 7 Pakistan Football Federation (PFF)'s secretary general Ahmed Yar Lodhi on Sunday criticised the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) for excluding football from the 31st National Games scheduled to be held in Peshawar next month.

“The decision will definitely have a negative impact on the sport and it's unfair,” Lodhi told Dawn on Sunday.

He said football was followed enthusiastically all over the world but POA's decision for excluding the sport from the National Games was not professional.

Lodhi said he has written a letter to the POA president, Syed Arif Hasan, showing his concerns.

He said there were over 60,000 registered football players in Pakistan and the number of non-professional players was around one million.

“All these players always look forward to represent their teams, however, the current decision will have a negative impact on the development of the sport in Pakistan,” he said. — Sports Reporter