Was PFF involved in the ‘Qatar-gate’ controversy?
Faisal Saleh Hayat is president of the Pakistan Football Federation. Sunday Times report claims PFF was the beneficiary of $15,000 in bribes. FIFA's ethics committee will review the 350-page report of US federal prosecutor Michael J. Garcia. The report recommends sanctions against certain individuals. The final decision of FIFA ethics panel will not be made public. It is unknown whether it includes anything relating to the Pff. A FIFA spokesperson declined to comment. An email to Eckert's office by Dawn wasn't returned. He asked the SundayTimes to provide him with all the evidence from its investigation.
Hayat denies any wrongdoing on his part. The PFF received payments from FIFA's Goal Bureau. Garcia may include testimony by disgraced AFC official Vernon Manilal Fernando in his report. Fernando was the chairman of the Goal bureau before his failed campaign to unseat FIFA chief Sepp Blatter in the presidential elections in May 2011.
Pakistan Football Federation has given FIFA president Sepp Blatter their full support. Blutter is running for a fifth, four-year term. FIFA has been plagued by corruption allegations since the Qatar bid. UEFA leaders are calling for change at the FIFA helm. FIFA members are supporting Blater for re-election. The AFC members hope Blatter can save them from the wrath of the ethics committee. Bin Hamman allegedly used slush funds to make payments totaling more than $5m to officials across the continent. Pakistan received $15,000 from a personal account, $500,00 each for eight Goal Projects and an unending supply of cash from AFC’s Aid 27 programme.
Fernando sent two mobile phones to the representatives from Pakistan and Afghanistan to photograph their ballot papers inside the voting booth. Fernando did not deny writing the email but claimed it was a "mere puff" and he had lied in the message. PFF official claims that if someone is supporting you by giving you development projects, you have to oblige by voting for them. In the acrimonious 2009 FIFA elections, Bin Hammam was running against incumbent AFC chief Sheikh Salman of Bahrain for West Asia’s seat on the FIFA ExCo.
FIFA ExCo members had a say on the hosting of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Bin Hammam was campaigning for Qatar's hosting bid. He needed the support of FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-Joon. Chung and Bin were bitter rivals before. Fernando was in Pakistan to approve the contractor for the Goal Project in Karachi. The development officer was criticized back in his home country for misallocating funds for Goal Projects.
Fernando visited Pakistan on October 6, 2010. He awarded Pakistan three more Goal Projects in Jacobabad, Abbottabad and Khanewal. There are also projects in Lahore, Peshawar, Karachi, Quetta, Sukkur, Mirpurkhas, Nowshera, Faisalabad. Fernando sent a letter to Najib Chirakal asking for GB approval for the next projects. In all, Pakistan has received $4,000,00 (Rs40 crores) for Goal Project in 2010, including six for Pakistan: Queta, Multan, Mirpuri, and Sukur.
Fernando got elected to the FIFA ExCo in the AFC elections in January 2011. Qatar won the right to host the World Cup in 2022. In January, Bin Hamman was re-elected president of Asia’s football governing body. Jordan”s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussain was elected as FIFA‘s vice-president from Asia.
Hayat was voted onto the AFC ExCo and made chairman of the Legal Committee. He was also elected to the Congress in March 2011.
Hayat is the chairman of the Legal Committee. He is alleged to have thwarted an attempt to form an ethics taskforce to deal with governance and mismanagement during Bin Hammam's reign. FIFA allocated $1.2 million for artificial turfs for Pakistan last week. Jerome Champagne is running for the FIFA presidential election. Blatter is under fire. Henry Winter doesn't see him being re-elected. If he is, Hayat will be able to inflate the tally of Goal Projects in Pakistan to 12.
