Pakistan has landed in yet another global embarrassment — this time, far beyond cricket. A fake Pakistani football team was caught in Japan, where 22 men posed as players with forged documents linked to the Pakistan Football Federation. The scam was masterminded by a human trafficking agent. Shockingly, this isn’t the first time sports has been used for such fraud — hockey players, boxers, and even national athletes have fled abroad using sporting visas. From corruption in federations to athletes disappearing at tournaments, Pakistan’s sporting system is in total disarray. Prathik S Vinod breaks down how global sports in Pakistan are being misused for scams — and what it reveals about the country’s collapsing institutions.
