The landscape of Pakistan football still seems to remain fractured. The tenure of Haroon Malik, the Canada-based official appointed by FIFA as the Normalisation Committee (NC) chairman, had left an indelible scar on the sport’s domestic architecture. Malik’s leadership was defined by calculated obstructionism, creating administrative bottlenecks to delay elections in a strategic bid to secure repeated mandate extensions from Zurich.

Though Malik departed just prior to last year’s presidential elections, the things left in his wake continues to stifle progress.

His administration’s heavy investment in PFF’s Connect programme did not look necessary, a venture that prioritized the placement of associates over systemic growth. Perhaps most debatable was the conduct of club scrutiny. It appeared it wad favouring “overseas” talent at the expense of homegrown domestic players.

Today, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) is still struggling and trying to improve. The current supremo, Mohsen Gilani, a former FIFA Development Officer, making all his all efforts to see Pakistan football go ahead. A December Congress meeting intended to elect executive members from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa collapsed due to a lack of quorum.

The drawback of the current PFF regime is that it still depends on the workforce which had been brought in by Haroon Malik. So what is the difference between reigning PFF and outgoing Normalisation Committee?

The call for action is now urgent. The PFF must immediately launch a national league, adhering to the proven departmental pattern for a transitional period of two years before attempting a fully professional club-based model. Departments have historically been the backbone of Pakistan’s football ecosystem; their abrupt exclusion would be catastrophic.

The state must now intervene, not to interfere in technical matters, but to ensure financial and constitutional accountability. A thorough audit of the NC’s financial transactions and a scrutiny of the current PFF payroll are essential.

Compounding this crisis is the absence of a Technical Director. It is a staggering reality that nearly a year into this administration’s tenure, these two foundational pillars of football governance remain unoccupied.

Almost every mainstream coach has been given a chance by Gilani during the last few months except the country’s two major and highly experienced coaches Tariq Lutfi and Akhtar Mohiuddin who have rendered meritorious services for the country’s football.

It is because perhaps they don’t have a lobby in the PFF. They are not only highly qualified but have rich coaching experience with the Pakistan senior team.

Tariq Lutfi could Have been an automatic choice as head coach of Pakistan women team. Under his coaching Pakistan had reached SAFF Cup semi-finals.

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