A failed operation in the central province of Panjshir that was an attempt to arrest the former president of the Afghan Football Federation (AFF), Keramuddin Karim, was ordered by the Ministry of Interior Affairs, according to a probe team that traveled to Panjshir.

reject the rumors that say Mr. First Vice President directed the operation,” said Abdul Wadi Faraji, acting police chief of Panjshir.

anti-crime directorate of the Interior Ministry planned the operation to arrest Mr. Karim on August 23,” said Jamshid Totakhil, head of the anti-crime directorate of the Ministry of Interior.

is accused of the sexual abuse of female footballers. The news about this broke in 2018. Months after that, Karim went to his hometown Panjshir and is still there. He was seen driving a luxury vehicle the day after the operation against him in Panjshir.

June 2019, Karim was found guilty by the Adjudicatory Chamber of the FIFA Ethics Committee of having abused his position and sexually abused various female players.

As a result, he was sanctioned with a life ban from all football-related activities (administrative, sports or any other) at both national and international level, as well as a fine in the amount of CHF 1,000,000.

operation was conducted in Sangana village in Bazarak district in Panjshir, Panjshir governor’s spokesman Mohammad Mansour Onabi said, adding that no local or security officials were informed about the operation.

He said the acting governor of the province, Mohammad Amin Sediq, has also been summoned to Kabul.

“We got no letter from the center on the arrest of Mr. Karim,” Onabi said.

“The Independent Directorate of Local Governance summoned the Panjshir deputy governor to Kabul,” said Sayid Shah Saqim, a spokesman for the Independent Directorate of Local Governance.

experts criticized the move to keep Panjshir officials in the dark about the operation to arrest the former football chief.

“The relevant organizations are responsible to inform local officials in case of implementing any order by the Attorney General’s Office,” said Wahid Farzaee, a legal expert.

This comes as First Vice President Amrullah Saleh in a social media post on Monday summoned Panjshir officials over the issue.