The Pakistan football team’s hopes of participating in the SAFF Championships in Bengaluru got a boost as the Pakistan Football Federation finally received the required clearances from its government. Pakistan plays its opener against India on June 21.
In order for its team to compete overseas, the Pakistan Football Federation needed No Objection certificates from the Ministry of internal affairs as well as the Pakistan Sports Boards.
On Thursday, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) was granted a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by Ministry of Interior Affairs for the national men’s team’s visit of India. They are however still waiting for the NOC from the Pakistan Sports Board.
“We can apply for an India visa only once we get the NOCs. But without a NOC we cannot apply for an Indian visa since Indian visas are given in-person. ” Shahid Khokhar, a member of the Pakistan Football Federation Normalisation Committee which has been running the federation since it was suspended by FIFA in 2021.
The Pakistan Football Federation applied for a NOC on May 25. Following a delay in the granting of the NOC, the Federation had taken to twitter as well.
“Hi @mo_ipc @SportsBoardPak. Would love it if you can provide us with an update on the NOC for the SAFF Championships which are all set to start in India on the 21st. We plan to travel on the 18th. Hoping to get the clearance so that we can manage things accordingly. ” the tweet from PFF read.
The PFF also issued a video in which the players asked the PSB and the foreign office to speed the process of awarding NOCs. “This is very important. We request the Pakistan Foreign Ministry and Pakistan Sports Board to provide us with a NOC so that we can focus on training and not on other things,” defender Mamoon Moosa said in a video posted by the Twitter handle of the Pakistan Football Federation.
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