AFP bans Arshad Nadeem’s coach Salman Iqbal Butt for life over alleged violation

The Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) has imposed a lifetime ban on Salman Iqbal Butt, the coach of Pakistan’s first-ever Olympic gold medallist, Arshad Nadeem, citing alleged violations of the Punjab Athletics Association’s constitution.

Salman Butt, who has been serving as Arshad Nadeem’s personal coach since 2021, reportedly had long-standing differences with the federation’s leadership.

Tensions between both parties deepened following Nadeem’s disappointing performance at the recent World Athletics Championship, after which the AFP issued a show-cause notice to Butt.

According to federation officials, Butt and another official, Syed Habib Shah, conducted what the AFP described as “illegal and unconstitutional elections” of the Punjab Athletics Association.

As a result, the federation imposed a lifetime ban on Salman Iqbal Butt and a ten-year ban on Syed Habib Shah.

The AFP stated that an inquiry committee was constituted to investigate the matter, but both individuals failed to appear before it.

However, sources close to Salman Butt have rejected the AFP’s decision, calling it biased and motivated by personal grievances rather than merit.

They claimed that Salman Butt had submitted a detailed written response to the show-cause notice three days before the ban but received no official communication regarding its review.

According to these sources, the federation acted vindictively under the pretext of constitutional violations to settle personal scores. They added that Salman Butt has yet to receive the official notification of his ban, after which he plans to announce his future course of action.

The decision has sparked debate within the athletics community, with several observers viewing it as an attempt to undermine the coach who played a pivotal role in guiding Arshad Nadeem to Olympic glory.

According to the federation, the bans are part of a broader effort to uphold transparency, discipline, and constitutional compliance within Pakistan’s athletics community.

The lifetime ban on Salman Butt prevents him from participating in any capacity — whether as a player, coach, official, or administrator — in any national or international athletics activity.

Similarly, Habib Shah has been prohibited from taking part in any athletics-related activity for the next ten years.

In a major development, the Executive Committee also declared the August 31, 2025, elections of the Punjab Athletics Association as illegal, unconstitutional, and void.

The federation found that these elections were conducted in direct violation of AFP’s constitution, as the election notice was issued merely two days before the polling date — on August 29 — rather than the mandatory 21-day notice required under federation rules. Furthermore, the deadline for candidate nominations, which should have been set seven days prior to the elections, was also overlooked.