No AFC Cup slot for winners of this season's controversy-filled PPFL.

Byline: Umaid Wasim

KARACHI -- Ayaz Butt is a thoroughly driven man. For the Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) manager, however, the motivation driving him to win this season's dispute-marred Pakistan Premier Football League (PPFL) is now gone.

Having acquired a taste for playing and winning games in Asian competitions when KRL won three successive PPFL titles from 2012 to 2014, Ayaz wanted to take his side to the AFC Cup Asia's second-tier club competition, the continent's equivalent of Europe's UEFA Europa League.

Almost halfway through the league his side is on track, with a three-point lead at the top. But winning the league wouldn't see them through to the AFC Cup playoff round as Pakistan's representatives. Next year's AFC Cup has no slot for the Pakistani league winner.

'As there were no AFC-licensed clubs and no ongoing league there was no entry from Pakistan,' an AFC spokesperson told Dawn on Friday.

Reminded that the league was underway beginning with a controversial playoff round in which four teams from the second-division Pakistan Football Federation League (PFFL) without the league having actually taken place; a contravention of both FIFA and AFC statutes regarding relegation and promotion the spokesperson added that there was no way the country's champion team could've participate without a license.

'There was a cutoff date on October 31 and we have already had the draw,' the spokesperson added. 'But without a license they could not play anyway and the cut off for the license was the same date. Club licensing was introduced for all member associations in the last year for the AFC Champions League and AFC Cup.'

The baby steps that the PFF has taken so far regarding club licensing in a largely departmental PPFL is merely adding 'FC' or 'football club' to their names. 'They've just shown us slides and done nothing to move forward,' a member of one of the teams, wishing to remain anonymous, told Dawn on Friday.

Teams have to fulfill a number of criteria in order to get a license to participate in the AFC Cup. Those multi-layered criteria are sporting, infrastructure, legal, financial and personnel and administrative.

The AFC, meanwhile, has yet to receive details from the PFF regarding the playoff round. The current edition of the PPFL was the first in three years, with the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) having been mired in crisis during a legal battle. The Supreme Court has since announced holding the PFF election next month...