Pakistan faced international embarrassment after Japan deported a group of nationals posing as a football team, allegedly in an attempt at human trafficking.
According to news report, 22 Pakistani nationals claimed to be players of a football team from Sialkot but were found carrying fake documents.
Japanese authorities intercepted the group at the airport and sent them back after verifying their credentials were fraudulent.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) identified the main suspect as Malik Waqas, who was arrested in Gujranwala.
Waqas had reportedly registered a club called ‘Golden Football Trial’ and trained the individuals to act as footballers, charging each member between Rs 4–4.5 million to facilitate their travel.
A senior FIA official said the group obtained 15-day visit visas to Japan under the invitation of Boavista Football Club using forged Pakistan Football Federation registration letters and a fake No Objection Certificate from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. None of the travellers returned to Pakistan as planned.
The FIA confirmed that this was not the first incident involving Waqas. In a similar case on 15 June 2025, a 22-member fake football team was also deported by Japanese authorities, prompting a formal investigation and subsequent arrests.
The Gujranwala Director of the FIA, Muhammad Bin Ashraf, said the cases are ongoing and further investigations are underway.
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