Pakistan’s fake football team lands in Japan, 22 deported

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has uncovered a major human trafficking racket involving men posing as football players to illegally enter Japan. On September 15, Japanese authorities deported 22 individuals who arrived in full football gear, claiming to represent the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). They carried forged no-objection certificates (NOCs) allegedly issued by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Immigration officers at a Japanese airport grew suspicious during questioning, quickly exposing the fraud and deporting the group back to Pakistan. Officials are now probing how the men managed to clear Pakistani airport security without being flagged.

Investigations traced the operation to Malik Waqas , a resident of Pasroor in Sialkot, who allegedly created a fake club named Golden Football Trial . Waqas is accused of charging each aspirant between Rs 4 million and Rs 4.5 million to arrange their trip. He was arrested by the FIA’s Composite Circle in Gujranwala, and multiple cases have been lodged against him.

The FIA has now tightened its crackdown on sports-linked trafficking scams, warning aspiring athletes against falling prey to such fraudulent recruiters.