PSB denies NOC to Pakistan women's football team for SAFF championship

KARACHI: The participation of the Pakistan women's football team in this month's South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Women's Championship is in doldrums as the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) refused to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC).

The tournament is scheduled to be held from October 17 to 30 in Nepal.

In a letter sent to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), the PSB cited delays in submitting the request and the absence of the required signature from the chairman of the Normalisation Committee (NC). These issues led the PSB to decline the NOC request.

The PSB had previously reminded the PFF on September 12 about the necessary protocols for obtaining the NOC.

However, the football federation's submission was not only delayed but also lacked the signature of the NC chairman. The PSB stated that such omissions made it impossible to process the application.

In the letter, the sports board noted: "Since the instructions issued by the PSB have not been followed, we regret to inform you that, due to time constraints and non-compliance with our procedural requirements, the PSB is unable to process the NOC request for participation in this event."

Sources within the PFF confirmed that the NOC request for the SAFF Women's Championship was submitted on September 16. However, the request was signed by NC member Shahid Khokhar instead of chairman Haroon Malik.

The Pakistan women's football team is currently holding a training camp in Islamabad, with plans to depart for Nepal on October 12.

The absence of the NOC, however, raises uncertainty about the team's participation in the tournament.

Pakistan football teams have faced similar challenges with NOC issues in the past, leading to tensions between the PFF and PSB.

While last-minute resolutions have been achieved in previous instances, this time, the matter remains unresolved.