Pakistan women’s football team denied NOC for SAFF championship

KARACHI: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) has denied a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Pakistan women’s football team for the upcoming South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women’s Championship, scheduled to take place in Nepal from October 17 to 30.

In a letter to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), the PSB explained that the request was delayed and lacked the necessary signature from the Normalisation Committee (NC) chairman, which prevented them from processing the NOC. The PSB had previously reminded the PFF on September 12 about the protocols required to secure the NOC.

However, when the PFF finally submitted the request on September 16, it was signed by NC member Shahid Khokhar instead of the chairman, Haroon Malik, as required. This non-compliance led to the PSB declining the request.

The PSB stated in the letter: “Due to time constraints and non-compliance with our procedural requirements, we regret to inform you that the PSB is unable to process the NOC request for participation in this event.”

The Pakistan women’s football team is currently training in Islamabad, preparing to leave for Nepal on October 12. However, the lack of an NOC puts their participation in the tournament in doubt.

This isn’t the first time Pakistan football teams have faced NOC-related issues, creating tensions between the PFF and PSB. While such matters have been resolved at the last minute in the past, it remains unclear if a similar outcome will be achieved this time.