by Faizan Lakhani
KARACHI: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has urged the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to issue No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the national men’s team’s tour of Mauritius and India.
Pakistan are set to play a four-nation cup in Mauritius, followed by the SAFF Championship in India, in June.
The PFF also released a video on Saturday, where the players requested PSB and the foreign office to expedite the process of issuing the NOCs.
On the other hand, the PSB claimed, in a tweet on its official Twitter account, that the PFF didn’t submit the required documents on time for the NOC.
Earlier, while talking to ‘The News’, a PSB official confirmed that documents were recently submitted with the PSB which lacked the required information for issuance of NOC to tour abroad, especially when it comes to playing in India.
“The team is to take a trip to India for the South Asian Football Championship. You need a special NOC for the tour to India and besides the Interior Ministry, the permission from the Foreign Office will also be required. The submitted papers lacked required documents and information. In fact, these documents were more about sharing information rather than seeking NOC from the government. We have asked them to submit fresh documents,” the PSB official said.
He claimed that there is a set procedure and a time frame for seeking NOC which should be followed.
“There is a set procedure for seeking NOC. Every federation will have to follow this. When it comes to touring India, the requirement gets even tougher,” he said.
According to sources, the Pakistan team has to depart for Mauritius on June 8.
Schedule
Four-nation Cup
June 11 Pakistan vs Mauritius
June 14 Pakistan vs Kenya
June 17 Pakistan vs Djibouti
SAFF Championship
June 21 Pakistan vs India
June 24 Pakistan vs Kuwait
June 27 Pakistan vs Nepal