A fake football team from Pakistan has been apprehended in Japan. The 22 members of the team had entered Japan using forged documents. Each player had paid approximately 4 million rupees to be part of the team. However, the scam was uncovered at the airport.
Pakistan’s fake football team: A cunning scheme by a Pakistani human trafficker involved in the illegal migration racket has come to light. This notorious individual disguised 22 Pakistani men as members of a football team to smuggle them abroad illegally. He then sent the group to Japan, posing as a football team. However, their ruse was exposed at the Japanese airport, revealing the elaborate human trafficking operation. This entire incident is being described as a major human trafficking racket disguised as a sports activity.
According to reports, after the Japanese immigration authorities uncovered the scheme, the group was deported back to Pakistan, where they were subsequently arrested by the Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). According to Gulf News, this entire operation was linked to the illegal trafficking of people abroad.
Major human trafficking case: Fake football club also involved
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan has described this as a major human trafficking case. It was revealed that Malik Waqas, a resident of Pasrur in Sialkot, Pakistan, sent the group to Japan. Waqas had actually created a fake football club called “Golden Football Trials” to facilitate sending people to Japan, and claimed it was affiliated with the Pakistan Football Federation.
He charged 4 million Pakistani rupees per person for the trip abroad
When the group arrived in Japan, they presented a “No Objection Certificate” (NOC) purportedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Using these documents, the group departed from Sialkot Airport for Japan. Waqas had even trained the individuals to act like professional footballers. The investigation also revealed that he had charged each member 4 million Pakistani rupees for the trip to Japan.
Sent 17 people abroad in a similar manner last year
According to Pakistani media, the Gujranwala-based FIA Composite Circle arrested Waqas on September 15 and registered several cases against him. His arrest also revealed that Waqas had previously sent 17 people to Japan in January 2024. Each of them had obtained a 15-day visa based on a fake invitation from a Japanese club, Boavista FC. None of them have returned to Pakistan.
