By Shazad Ali
KARACHI: While top Pakistan football officials are expected to face several charges on Dec 9 in the National Assembly, the death of a Nigerian marketing official owing to alleged ill-treatment by national football federation will be the major focus.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Faisal Saleh Hayat and his colleagues have been called up by the chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, Jamshaid Dasti, for grilling on several issues.
However, the death of Nsibaba Eddy Imeh-Ony, a marketing official associated with audi Arabia-based International Professional Link Group, is expected to be at the top of agenda when the PFF officials face the standing committee.
The Nigerian, who was invited by the then director marketing, Sardar Naveed Haider, was on a visit to Pakistan to work for PFF. After a paralysis attack, he was asked to vacate PFF hostel where he stayed for little over two weeks. He moved into a hotel where he ran out of money.
It was only after media discovered that the foreign national had been stranded and had been in a bad health that PFF came into action. Since Imeh-Ony had come to Pakistan via Dubai where he also had talks with a local club, PFF, sent him back to Dubai from where he was deported to Pakistan as he had an expired visa. The Nigerian later died in Lahore.
Although Faisal had absolved himself, claiming he was sent by his company and was not PFF’s liability, he is likely to face a barrage of questions this time from the standing committee and two Karachi-based officials – Ahmad Jan and Nasir Karim.
Nasir, the chief of Karachi South association, was banned for five years for lashing out at top PFF officials in the media earlier this year, while former FIFA referee Ahmad was 'suspended' for two years by the disciplinary committee on similar charges.
Messed-up and mismanaged ongoing Pakistan Premier Football League will also come under discussion and Faisal will be questioned on no less then 15 walkovers during the prestigious event which has become a farce.
Interestingly, Jamshaid and Faisal had a verbal spat during the National assembly session. Jamshaid was suspended from the rest of the session while Faisal also was banned for a day for breaking the code of conduct and using objectionable language.
Among other thorny issues will be PFF’ spending on Aid-27 coaching programme under which the federation spends approximately Rs8.6million per year on coaches. While on paper it seems to be an ambitious plan, it is believed that the money being spent is going down the drain because of lack of planning.
PFF, which also received $700,000 from European countries after 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, is expected to be asked about the amount.
Overall performance of the federation might also be discussed as it is generally believed that PFF is executing activities as formality even after receiving huge funds from FIFA on annual basis.
The corruption scandal involving suspended president of the Islamabad Football Association Fazlur Rahman might also be on the agenda.
However, Fazlur Rahman will not be coming to the National Assembly since he says his appeal was pending with the PFF president.
'I was suspended by the disciplinary committee not by the president. So I have appealed to the PFF president to lift the ban,' Fazlur Rahman told Dawn.com on Monday.
However, sources said the suspended official was not keen to speak against Faisal after reaching a compromise.
Another strong critic of Faisal, former PFF director technical Col Mujahidullah was also due to appear before the standing committee, but he will not be in Islamabad because of his 'commitments.'
KARACHI: While top Pakistan football officials are expected to face several charges on Dec 9 in the National Assembly, the death of a Nigerian marketing official owing to alleged ill-treatment by national football federation will be the major focus.
Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) president Faisal Saleh Hayat and his colleagues have been called up by the chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Sports, Jamshaid Dasti, for grilling on several issues.
However, the death of Nsibaba Eddy Imeh-Ony, a marketing official associated with audi Arabia-based International Professional Link Group, is expected to be at the top of agenda when the PFF officials face the standing committee.
The Nigerian, who was invited by the then director marketing, Sardar Naveed Haider, was on a visit to Pakistan to work for PFF. After a paralysis attack, he was asked to vacate PFF hostel where he stayed for little over two weeks. He moved into a hotel where he ran out of money.
It was only after media discovered that the foreign national had been stranded and had been in a bad health that PFF came into action. Since Imeh-Ony had come to Pakistan via Dubai where he also had talks with a local club, PFF, sent him back to Dubai from where he was deported to Pakistan as he had an expired visa. The Nigerian later died in Lahore.
Although Faisal had absolved himself, claiming he was sent by his company and was not PFF’s liability, he is likely to face a barrage of questions this time from the standing committee and two Karachi-based officials – Ahmad Jan and Nasir Karim.
Nasir, the chief of Karachi South association, was banned for five years for lashing out at top PFF officials in the media earlier this year, while former FIFA referee Ahmad was 'suspended' for two years by the disciplinary committee on similar charges.
Messed-up and mismanaged ongoing Pakistan Premier Football League will also come under discussion and Faisal will be questioned on no less then 15 walkovers during the prestigious event which has become a farce.
Interestingly, Jamshaid and Faisal had a verbal spat during the National assembly session. Jamshaid was suspended from the rest of the session while Faisal also was banned for a day for breaking the code of conduct and using objectionable language.
Among other thorny issues will be PFF’ spending on Aid-27 coaching programme under which the federation spends approximately Rs8.6million per year on coaches. While on paper it seems to be an ambitious plan, it is believed that the money being spent is going down the drain because of lack of planning.
PFF, which also received $700,000 from European countries after 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, is expected to be asked about the amount.
Overall performance of the federation might also be discussed as it is generally believed that PFF is executing activities as formality even after receiving huge funds from FIFA on annual basis.
The corruption scandal involving suspended president of the Islamabad Football Association Fazlur Rahman might also be on the agenda.
However, Fazlur Rahman will not be coming to the National Assembly since he says his appeal was pending with the PFF president.
'I was suspended by the disciplinary committee not by the president. So I have appealed to the PFF president to lift the ban,' Fazlur Rahman told Dawn.com on Monday.
However, sources said the suspended official was not keen to speak against Faisal after reaching a compromise.
Another strong critic of Faisal, former PFF director technical Col Mujahidullah was also due to appear before the standing committee, but he will not be in Islamabad because of his 'commitments.'
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