ISLAMABAD, Sep 17: In a scene that would put even the most outrageous comedy script to shame, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has stumbled upon yet another “world-class” scam—this time involving a self-proclaimed national football squad.

As it turns out, 22 men from Pakistan decided to dress up as professional footballers, complete with jerseys, shorts, socks, and cleats, in an ambitious attempt to sneak into Japan on forged papers. Their grand strategy? Pretend to be the pride of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and hope the Japanese immigration officers were die-hard fans of imaginary sports. Spoiler alert—they weren’t.

According to FIA officials, the men’s act was exposed the moment Japanese immigration authorities decided to ask basic questions. During routine questioning, officials grew suspicious of the so-called “team” whose only real football skill seemed to be carrying forged documents. Not only did they parade themselves as members of PFF, but they also had the nerve to brandish counterfeit no-objection certificates (NOCs), allegedly stamped by Pakistan’s very own Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Imagine—an entire squad, dressed head-to-toe like Cristiano Ronaldo wannabes, thinking a piece of fake paper would convince a foreign government.

The fiasco has left Pakistanis asking the obvious: how did a group of 22 men in matching kits, armed with forged papers that wouldn’t even fool a bored office clerk, manage to clear immigration checks at Pakistan’s airports? Either airport security staff were deeply impressed with their “uniform coordination,” or someone was asleep on the job.

Mastermind Behind the Scam

The so-called “coach” of this tragic comedy is Malik Waqas of Pasroor, Sialkot. Waqas, who apparently confused con artistry with entrepreneurship, is accused of creating a fake football club with the grand title Golden Football Trial. Through this non-existent club, he recruited hopefuls with promises of Japanese football glory. Of course, the only real game here was money. He allegedly charged each man between Rs 4 million and Rs 4.5 million for a spot on the sham “team.” In short, this wasn’t just a fake club; it was a money-minting factory cleverly disguised as a football academy.

The FIA’s Composite Circle in Gujranwala finally ended Waqas’s “winning streak” on September 15. He was arrested, and according to reports by Geo News, multiple cases have been registered against him. If scams were a sport, Waqas would have been the star striker, always ready to dribble past the law until he tripped on his own overconfidence.

Previous Exploits in Japan

As if this latest blunder wasn’t enough, officials revealed that this wasn’t Waqas’s debut match in the international scamming arena. In January 2024, he allegedly pulled off a similar stunt. Back then, he managed to send 17 men to Japan using the same scheme. Each man was handed a 15-day visa, supported by falsified invitations from a so-called Japanese football club, Boavista FC. And just like disappearing midfielders in a poorly refereed match, none of those men ever returned to Pakistan. It seems Waqas’s “training program” promised more than football—it offered a one-way ticket out of the country, with no return clause.

Exploiting Sports as a Cover

What makes the story even more bizarre is the training these men supposedly underwent. Authorities disclosed that Waqas actually coached them on how to act like professional footballers. From walking in formation to mimicking pre-match stretches, he made sure his recruits could pass as athletes at least for the duration of airport scrutiny. Whether they could actually kick a ball is another question altogether. This was less about goals on the pitch and more about goals in illegal migration.

“Waqas’s arrest is a breakthrough in dismantling human trafficking networks exploiting Pakistanis under the guise of sports,” FIA Gujranwala Director Muhammad Bin Ashraf said in a statement. The irony here practically writes itself—Pakistan may not be sending world-class football teams abroad, but it seems to be exporting world-class fraudsters under the banner of football.

Ongoing Investigations

The FIA, clearly embarrassed that 22 men in matching shorts managed to slip through Pakistan’s airport gates, has now launched further investigations. Officials say they are working to identify Waqas’s facilitators, both at home and abroad, who may have greased the wheels of this scam. Their new mission is dismantling such trafficking networks, which they admit are thriving by exploiting the desperation of ordinary Pakistanis.

The warning signs are clear: as long as fake NOCs and sham football academies keep popping up, Pakistan risks turning into the international punchline of sports-related scams. This isn’t just a story of fraud; it’s a sad reflection of how easily citizens are lured with false promises, only to end up humiliated on foreign soil.