Fake Pakistani football team reaches Japan for tournament; deported

Lahore: A "fake" Pakistan Football Team was deported from Japan following the revelation of its fraud, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Wednesday.

A human trafficking network was involved in sending a 22-member fake football team to Japan, the FIA said in a statement.

The fake players were dressed in football kits and claimed they were registered with the Pakistan Football Federation. They also claimed to have scheduled matches with a Japanese club.

"The 22-member fake football team, which managed to get a 15-day visa, reached Japan in June 2025. However, it was deported by the Japanese immigration authorities from the airport, and the matter was then reported to the FIA," it said.

The FIA launched an investigation into the matter, and on Tuesday, it arrested a prime suspect, Waqas Ali, a member of the human trafficking gang involved in the incident.

During the investigation, the suspect revealed that his network also managed to send 17 people to Japan in 2024, showing them as members of the Pakistan Football Team who never returned.

The suspect revealed that forged letters and NoC of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were used for the purpose.

"Each person (player) paid PKR4.5 million for arranging their Japan visa," the FIA said and added that raids are underway to arrest the other members of the network.