PSB issues last-minute NOC to women’s football team for SAFF Championship

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) on Saturday issued a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the women’s national football team to participate in the SAFF Women’s Championship at the eleventh hour.

The team received clearance just three hours before their flight, despite the early refusal by PSB over not following standard NOC procedures.

The national women’s team is set to depart from Islamabad to Kathmandu, with a squad comprising 24 players and 8 officials to participate in the SAFF Women’s Championship, scheduled from October 17 to 30 in Nepal.

The team will face arch-rival India in their opening match on October 17.

Earlier, PSB refused a no-objection certificate to the team citing the submission of the request after the designated time frame and the absence of the required signature from the chairman of the Normalisation Committee (NC).

“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,” the letter written to Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said.

In a newly issued letter from the PSB, it stated: “Based on the undertaking given by Muhammad Shahid Niaz Khokhar, Member, Normalisation Committee of Pakistan Football Federation, the Pakistan Sports Board has no objection on the participation of Pakistan Women National Football Team to participate in SAFF Football Championship.”

The Pakistan Sports Board emphasized that the decision to issue the NOC was driven by a commitment to support the athletes, despite the procedural shortcomings of the PFF.

Additionally, the PSB has mandated that a performance report must be shared following the event