by Ali Ahsan
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) cannot catch a break from its ongoing issues. Despite formal takeover by its elected Executive Committee in July 2025, the PFF still faces a funding crisis.
The Pakistan men’s national football team under head coach Nolberto Solano plays two 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers this October 2025 FIFA window. Pakistan host Afghanistan on 9 October at Jinnah Stadium Islamabad before both teams play away on 14 October in Kuwait.
Yet PFF’s funding issues threaten to undermine these critical fixtures, with them scrambling to secure any sponsorships and alternate funding. There are even reports that several MNT overseas players may not be called up over limited funds for their airline tickets.
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have yet to release funding in the millions of US$ withheld over the past decade due to the PFF’s political crises, three separate FIFA bans on Pakistan, and nearly 6-year long administration under the PFF’s FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee (NC).
The elected PFF took steps under president Syed Mohsen Gilani to stabilise, including opening a new PFF bank account. Yet funding remains restricted and conditional from FIFA and AFC on event-to-event basis.
When asked, PFF president Gilani stated that FIFA and AFC now require audits of PFF spending over the years, including financial statements from the NC era, before easing restrictions. “Until we submit these audits, we are severely hampered on what we can and cannot do due to limited funding.”
The old NC, chaired by Haroon Malik from 2021-25 and then Saud Hashimi in 2025 until the PFF elections completed, has reportedly yet to submit its financial records. While Malik has not responded to any of our queries, Hashimi denied the assertion of NC being at fault.
Saud Hashmi stated that as FIFA-contracted employees, the NC always answered directly to FIFA on all matters. He added that all spending details during NC tenure went through annual central reviews and any questions etc. asked were already answered to ‘FIFA’s satisfaction’ and they will continue to cooperate with FIFA when asked.
However, PFF’s current Acting General Secretary Shahid Niaz Khokhar was also a key NC member for much of its duration. His dual role over the years and continuation as Acting GS has raised objections from several PFF ExCo member on transparency and accountability. When asked about the funding situation, Khokhar replied “PFF is making all efforts to resolve the situation amicably.”
FIFA and AFC officials have also yet to officially respond to queries from FootballPakistan.Com regarding the PFF funding situation. It appears that until a satisfactory audit is presented to FIFA and AFC, essential development and operational funds will remain closed, stifling the PFF’s day-to-day operations.
Simultaneously, the federation is grappling with a separate financial deadlock. A significant amount of funding remains inaccessible in an old PFF bank account, entangled in a lingering court case. The dispute originates from the controversial tenure of Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah, a former presidential claimant.
Shah had won a PFF election in late 2018 organized by the Supreme Court of Pakistan but never recognized as a legitimate PFF president by FIFA. His faction led a hostile takeover in March 2021 of PFF that threw out Haroon Malik’s NC and caused a 15-month FIFA ban and continued legal disputes.
Ashfaq Shah has refused to withdraw his legal claim on an exisiting PFF account, effectively holding significant PFF funds hostage to Pakistan’s slow and cumbersome litigation process.
This double whammy of frozen international funding and a frozen domestic account has badly impacted Pakistani football. The MNT has been forced to train and prepare under immense financial strain that may hamper fielding a competitive XI for the upcoming qualifiers against a likely full-strength Afghanistan.
Given the current crises that never seem to end, failure to win any points in these fixtures will not help Pakistani football or the PFF at all. Silence from FIFA and AFC, confusion and lack of clarity within PFF further worsens the prospects of Pakistan ending 8-match losing streak this October.