A critical dawn for Pakistani football

 

A critical dawn for Pakistani football: 

New President Mohsen Gilani faces monumental reform challenge

 

Asher Butt

In a watershed moment for Pakistan's chronically troubled football landscape, Syed Mohsen Gilani's narrow electoral victory as President of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) represents both unprecedented opportunity and formidable challenge. His appointment signals the end of years of administrative chaos while simultaneously testing whether genuine reform can finally take root in one of Asia's most dysfunctional football federations.

 

A contested victory amid deep divisions

Gilani secured the presidency with 13 votes out of 24 in a tightly contested election on May 27, 2025, marking the conclusion of FIFA's prolonged Normalisation Committee intervention designed to resolve Pakistan's administrative deadlock. The razor-thin margin of victory, however, reflects the deep-seated divisions that continue to plague the PFF Congress, presenting immediate governance challenges for the incoming administration.

The new president brings formidable international credentials to the role, including extensive experience as a FIFA Development Officer, a prestigious FIFA Master's Degree, and academic exposure at Oxford University. These qualifications position him uniquely among previous PFF leadership, offering hope for professional management of Pakistan's football affairs.

Yet Gilani's narrow electoral mandate underscores the fragmentation within Pakistani football's governing structures. Building functional consensus among fractious stakeholders will prove critical to effective governance, particularly given the federation's history of internal sabotage and power struggles.

 

Inheriting decades of institutional decay

Gilani assumes leadership of a federation crippled by years of systematic mismanagement, corruption scandals, and international sanctions. The litany of crises includes hostile facility takeovers, factional warfare, and multiple FIFA suspensions due to third-party governmental interference—disruptions that have devastated Pakistan's competitive prospects.

The consequences have been severe and measurable. Pakistan's national team missed crucial international fixtures, most notably the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, as direct results of administrative chaos. These missed opportunities represent not just sporting failures but fundamental breaches of trust with Pakistani football supporters and the international community.

The federation's reputation has been systematically destroyed through decades of scandal. Since 1961, Pakistani football administration has become synonymous with incompetence, corruption, and international embarrassment. Infamous episodes include the controversial 2015 election conducted in then-chief Faisal Saleh Hayat's private residence and the shocking 2021 hostile takeover of PFF headquarters.

 

Disciplinary reckonings and leadership accountability

The newly reconstituted PFF Disciplinary Committee has recently imposed life bans on 22 former officials, including prominent figures like Syed Ashfaq Hussain Shah and others involved in establishing parallel federation structures. These unprecedented sanctions demonstrate the severity of past misconduct while creating precedents for accountability.

Gilani's approach to enforcement versus reconciliation will prove pivotal. Whether he can maintain disciplinary standards while fostering inclusive governance among former adversaries represents a fundamental test of his leadership capabilities and strategic judgment.

 

Ambitious reform agenda meets implementation reality

The new president has outlined a comprehensive reform vision centered on grassroots development, competitive revival, and institutional modernization. His roadmap includes reviving dormant domestic competitions, launching a franchise-based league modeled on regional successes, and substantial investments in youth academies and women's football development.

These initiatives suggest a strategic pivot from past stagnation toward sustainable growth. However, implementation will provide the ultimate measure of success. Pakistan faces imminent international commitments, including AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, where failure could compound existing reputational damage and further erode public confidence.

The transformation from ambitious planning to tangible results will depend heavily on Gilani's ability to navigate entrenched resistance, secure adequate funding, and build operational capacity within a historically dysfunctional organization.

 

Transparency questions and financial governance concerns

Gilani's presidency begins under the shadow of transparency concerns, with his name reportedly appearing in the Pandora Papers linked to offshore entities in Seychelles. While no legal wrongdoing has been established, these revelations have intensified scrutiny around financial governance and ethical standards within the PFF.

Critics argue that the federation's new leadership must operate under enhanced financial oversight and rigorous ethical monitoring. Given Pakistan football's history of financial mismanagement and corruption scandals, public trust will require demonstrable transparency and accountability measures.

Gilani's relatively low public profile presents additional communication challenges at a time when the football community demands clarity, engagement, and visible leadership. Effective stakeholder communication will be essential for building the broad-based support necessary for sustainable reform.

 

International support and strategic partnerships

Despite domestic challenges, Gilani has secured strong international backing from football's most influential leaders. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, AFC President Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, and SAFF President Kazi Salahuddin have all publicly welcomed his election, offering comprehensive support and expressing confidence in his reform capabilities.

This international endorsement provides crucial political capital and technical resources for Pakistan's football revival. Gilani's response, emphasizing collaborative governance and transparency commitments, has struck appropriately hopeful tones while acknowledging the magnitude of challenges ahead.

The planned visit by FIFA President Infantino represents both opportunity and obligation—offering high-level mediation for persistent tensions while creating expectations for visible progress on reform commitments.

 

Government relations and autonomy challenges

A critical test of Gilani's leadership will involve managing the delicate relationship between federation autonomy and governmental cooperation. Third-party interference has been the primary cause of past FIFA suspensions, making this relationship management essential for Pakistan's international standing.

The new president must proactively engage government stakeholders to secure operational independence while fostering strategic support for football development initiatives. This balance requires sophisticated political judgment and diplomatic skills that previous PFF leadership has conspicuously lacked.

Whether Gilani can establish sustainable protocols for government relations while maintaining FIFA's autonomy requirements will fundamentally determine Pakistan football's international status and competitive opportunities.

 

The path forward: Execution over vision

For Pakistan—a nation abundant with footballing talent but chronically deprived of institutional structure—this presidency represents a defining moment. Gilani leads a federation that has become more associated with scandal than sport, dysfunction than development.

His ultimate success will depend not merely on strategic vision but on consistent execution of institutional reforms, restoration of public faith, and creation of self-sustaining footballing ecosystems. The challenges are immense: overcoming entrenched resistance, healing fractured relationships, and delivering measurable progress within constrained timeframes.

If Gilani can successfully navigate these obstacles while fostering genuine unity within Pakistan's deeply fragmented football community, this presidency could mark the beginning of a transformative era for the sport. The foundation exists—Pakistan possesses passionate supporters, emerging talent, and international goodwill for genuine reform.

 

Cautious optimism amid monumental challenges

The Pakistani football community watches with measured hope, tempered by decades of disappointment and broken promises. Gilani's international credentials and reform agenda offer genuine reasons for optimism, yet the scale of institutional reconstruction required cannot be underestimated.

Success will be measured not in promises but in tangible outcomes: restored international competitiveness, functional domestic competitions, transparent governance, and renewed public trust. For Pakistan football, this presidency represents perhaps the final opportunity to establish credible, sustainable leadership before international patience and domestic support are irretrievably lost.

The dawn of Mohsen Gilani's presidency arrives at Pakistan football's most critical juncture—a moment demanding both visionary leadership and practical execution. Whether this opportunity becomes transformation or merely another false start will define Pakistani football's trajectory for generations to come.