In a bizarre and unexpected incident, Japanese authorities have apprehended 22 individuals from Pakistan posing as a national football team in an attempt to enter the country illegally. Dressed in full football kits and armed with forged documents, the men claimed to be official representatives of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF).
According to Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the suspects were found carrying fake no-objection certificates (NOCs), purportedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These documents were presented as official travel clearances, falsely indicating affiliation with the PFF. Their plan unravelled during immigration checks in Japan, ultimately leading to their arrest and deportation.
The group was deported back to Pakistan after Japanese immigration officers grew suspicious during routine questioning. Further inquiries uncovered inconsistencies in their story, ultimately revealing the attempted deception. According to sources, the incident has raised serious questions about how the individuals managed to pass through Pakistani airport security and board international flights without being flagged.
Authorities have identified Malik Waqas, a resident of Pasroor in Sialkot, as the mastermind behind the fake football team scheme. He allegedly created a bogus club named Golden Football Trial and charged each individual between Rs 4 million and Rs 4.5 million for the trip to Japan. On September 15, the FIA’s Composite Circle in Gujranwala arrested Waqas, and multiple cases have since been registered against him.
This was not Waqas’s first attempt at human trafficking under the guise of sports. In January 2024, he reportedly facilitated the travel of 17 individuals to Japan using forged documents and fake invitations from a Japanese club named Boavista FC. Authorities confirmed that none of those individuals returned.
A comparable incident occurred in October last year, when a man from Lahore attempted to travel to the United States using forged documents while posing as a cricketer. He was apprehended near the US Consulate in Karachi after presenting fake credentials linked to a fictitious cricket club. Investigations later revealed he had obtained the forged documents through an agent named Sajjad, paying a substantial sum upfront with more promised upon successful entry.
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