Islamabad (GNP): Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) President Syed Mohsen Gilani has committed to advocating for broader stakeholder representation in the federation’s forthcoming Constitution, announcing a sweeping governance overhaul that will cascade from the national level down to provincial and district football bodies across the country.
Gilani made the announcement at a press conference following a two-day governance workshop jointly organised by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), describing the constitutional reform process as a pivotal moment to build a more democratic and inclusive football structure in Pakistan.
“I am not interested in constitutional reforms that give me more power as President,” Gilani stated plainly. “I will fight for greater representation of football stakeholders in the new PFF Constitution.”
He emphasised that the revised governance framework must give meaningful voice to all segments of Pakistani football, including women’s football, futsal, beach soccer, eFootball, provincial football associations, clubs, and other bodies central to the sport’s growth in the country.
The workshop was facilitated by FIFA’s Head of Member Associations Governance, Rolf Tanner, alongside AFC Senior Manager for the South Asia Unit Sonam Jigmi. Sessions centred on developing a new constitutional framework consistent with FIFA and AFC governance benchmarks.
Tanner praised the active participation of stakeholders throughout the workshop, noting that participants raised substantive questions and sought detailed clarifications on the proposed reforms. He said the dialogue helped resolve concerns, sharpen understanding of the reform framework, and build confidence in the direction the process is heading.
Tanner further explained that the reforms are designed with a broader reach in mind. Once a new PFF Constitution is adopted, comparable restructuring will be carried out at the provincial level and subsequently rolled out to district associations, ultimately establishing a unified governance standard across Pakistani football at every tier.
The constitutional review has been initiated in response to FIFA’s directive requiring the PFF to modernise its statutes in line with current international governance standards. The workshop served as a major milestone in that process, with discussions spanning democratic representation, institutional independence, electoral systems, integrity safeguards, financial accountability, independent committee structures, and stakeholder participation.
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Gilani also disclosed that the PFF, backed by FIFA and the AFC, intends to bolster provincial football associations by supporting the appointment of qualified General Secretaries capable of running football administration to professional standards — a move expected to enhance operational capacity at the grassroots level and improve delivery of development programmes nationwide.
PFF officials stressed that the entire reform process is being driven by wide consultation with the football community. A series of targeted engagements with representatives from provincial associations, clubs, women’s football, futsal, beach soccer, eFootball, and other sectors will follow the workshop to gather further input before the new Constitution is finalised.
The PFF, FIFA, and AFC jointly reaffirmed their commitment to completing the reforms efficiently and putting in place a modern governance architecture capable of sustaining the long-term growth of football across Pakistan.
