By Zain Sultan:
On May 27, 2025, elections for the Executive Committee of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) took place. The presidential race was contested between Taha Alizai and Syed Mohsen Gilani. Syed Mohsen Gilani emerged victorious, securing 13 votes to become the newly elected President of the PFF, while Taha Alizai garnered 11 votes in a closely contested battle.
This marked the first PFF election in ten years, where Syed Mohsen Gilani narrowly defeated his former friend Taha Alizai. Until Monday night, Taha appeared to be in the lead, claiming the support of 13 out of the 24 PFF Congress members. However, last-minute campaigning continued right up to the secret ballot, and in the end, it was Mohsen who secured the majority.
Two rounds of voting were held for the presidency, with the first round requiring a two-thirds majority. Interestingly, Mohsen also won that round with the same 13–11 margin.
“Doing something meaningful is not easy,” Mohsen told reporters after winning. “But the important thing is that Pakistan football has won today. After years of problems, there is now an elected leadership in charge.”
He further emphasized:
“We have to promote the image of our country through football. It should be used for diplomacy, international cooperation, and tourism. I request government institutions to support us—without their support, this cannot happen.”
Two executive committee seats from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa still remain undecided and will be filled in the next PFF Congress meeting.
Since most government departments and institutions supported Taha in the election, Mohsen has urged them to now stand behind the newly elected leadership.
With the long-anticipated elections concluded, the transition begins. The newly elected PFF leadership now takes charge from the Normalisation Committee (NC). Mohsen emphasized:
“It’s time to stop looking back and start focusing on building the future of football in Pakistan.”
