KARACHI: The team that represented Pakistan against Cambodia in 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers first round lost both of its matches and the locally-endorsed Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) officials are furious.

After losing the first leg away 2-0 on June 6, Pakistan went down 2-1 in the return leg on Tuesday for a 4-1 defeat on aggregate to a country which has a population of just 16 million. The match was played in Doha, Qatar because Faisal Saleh Hayat-led PFF is not recognised in its home country.

The elected PFF under Ashfaq Hussain Shah offered Hayat to send a joint team for the tie against Cambodia selected on merit but the latter refused and denied local players a chance to represent Pakistan. Eight foreign players of Pakistan origin were picked by Hayat to represent Pakistan.

PFF vice-presidents Amir Dogar and Sardar Naveed Haider have criticised Hayat for denying Pakistan football players and fans a chance to represent Pakistan and enjoy the game at their home ground.

Pakistan was supposed to host the second tie at home ground but the tussle between the factions, one recognised by FIFA while other locally endorsed by Supreme Court, took the game away from Pakistan.

Naveed says Hayat brought bad name to the country and did a great disservice to football in Pakistan for not letting a national team selected on merit for the international tie while also taking the chance for the country to host the international game.

The PFF vice-presidents have asked Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, President Arif Alvi and other top government officials to take notice and action against Hayat.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2019