By Azhar Masood,
LAHORE – The FIFA fact finding mission has endorsed Makdhoom Syed Faisal Saleh Hayat-led PFF rejecting the claims made by the rival faction, sources revealed on Monday.
The mission, which left Pakistan yesterday, will submit its reports to the FIFA and the AFC to take necessary actions as per their laws.
The sources told this scribe that after listening to both the parties, the FIFA mission declared extra ordinary congress held of June 16 in Islamabad by Zahir Shah Group as illegal and all their decisions taken during it as null and void. They have also been asked to hand back the possession of Football House to the PFF working under Faisal Saleh Hayat with immediate effect.
The sources added that the mission also refused to meet Hafiz Salman Butt, who was declared persona non grata by the FIFA while PFF-banned Col (R) Farasat was also badly snubbed by the mission as he was not allowed to sit and speak any word during the meetings and was also clearly told that he was not an acting secretary of the PFF.
Earlier, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) delegation had a marathon session of four hours with FIFA mission, which was on visit to Pakistan to find facts regarding football activities and PFF elections, the sources said.
The PFF delegation headed by its president Faisal Saleh Hayat and secretary Col (R) Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi, PFF vice president and PFA president Sardar Naveed Haider Khan, chairman election committee Khalid Latif and electoral committee member Nayyar Husnain as its members met with FIFA mission and had detailed discussion on each and every point happened in the last three months including occupation of PFF secretariat and federation’s elections and clarified them everything through documentary evidences. At the end of marathon meetings, the Faisal-led PFF was also upbeat about positive outcomes of FIFA mission’s visit to Pakistan, the sources added.
The mission also met with the rival group and gave them a patient hearing, however, they were categorically told that the FIFA and the AFC only recognise the executive committee working under PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat, they added.