Fia probes futsal team trade scandal

Peshawar:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has opened a formal investigation into allegations that members of the National Futsal team in Pakistan were involved in organized human smuggling.

The investigation focuses on the claim that people who travel as players, civil servants, civil servants and support staff illegally cross the cover in the Futsal Championship 2024 via Mexico.

The deputy director Saadullah Mehsud from the anti-Human trade circuit (AHTC) of the FIA ​​in Peshawar said the Express Tribune that credible evidence had arisen that several team members had used the tournament as an excuse to escape abroad. “In this case, we have started to collect detailed evidence,” he confirmed.

The championship organized by the International Federation of Futsal (FIFUSA) took place from September 12 to 23, 2024 in Bucaramanga, Colombia, with the Pakistani national team being invited to the competition.

Sources showed that at least six people – Abdullah, Masood Khan, Iqbal Hussain, Wali Muhammad, Hasebullah and Muhammad Mustafa – are reportedly traveled from the district of Khyber, as a player, technical civil servants, as a media coordinator and as a physiotherapist. It is believed that after his arrival in Colombia, these people have illegally crossed the US territory. The number of participants can be higher, since the official squad reported reported 21 members.

The probe was launched after a complaint by the subject -futsal player Nematullah, who accused the team's head coach, Muhammad Arshad, due to fraud. Nematullah claimed that the coach had promised him a visa against money that was neither arranged nor refunded. He also claimed that he was unjust from the Colombia tournament, while non-athletes were accepted after considerable payments.

FIA investigators also announced that two suspects, IQBAL Hussain and Wali Muhammad, reported to Afghan citizens, Pakistani identity maps and illegally to participate in the program.

Three main suspects were identified: the Futsal coach of the Qayyum Sports Complex Peshawar, a karate and futsal trainer from Landi Kotal and President of Pakistani Football Food Federation. These people traveled to Colombia with the team, but returned without some of the alleged players. The FIA ​​is expanding its investigation to clarify its role in facilitating the trading company.

An insider from the Futsal Federation claimed that each person paid between 3.5 and 4 million rupees to secure Colombian visas, which indicates a well -organized and financially motivated smuggling ring that has been working for months.