FIFA Suspends Pakistan Football Federation: Here’s Why

FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect after the PFF congress declined to adopt the amendments recommended by the world body in PFF’s constitution. The Bureau of the FIFA Council claimed to make changes in the PFF’s constitution to ensure fair elections and therefore it is mandatory to fulfil its obligations. 

“The suspension will only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress approving the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC,” said the statement.

The FIFA and AFC (Asian Football Confederation) in recent months had been proposing the PFF to bring amendments to its existing constitution in clauses related to the electoral process to ensure free governance. However, the PFF Congress has been reluctant to adopt these changes, leading to the current suspension.

PFF Normalization Committee Chairman Haroon Ahmed Malik said, “FIFA wants to make some amendments to the PFF Constitution to bring it in line with international standards. In the recent efforts, the majority of the newly-elected PFF Congress members have not agreed to FIFA’s proposals,”. 

History of Pakistan’s suspension

Pakistan Football Federation has a history of suspension. In April 2021, the world football governing body sanctioned the PFF due to undue third-party interference, a violation of FIFA’s statutes. That suspension was lifted in June 2022 after the world body received confirmation that the PFF’s Normalisation Committee had regained full control of the federation’s governance and was managing its finances.

This is PFF’s third suspension since 2017.

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What does the suspension mean?

The suspension means that Pakistan’s teams are barred from participating in international competitions until the issue is resolved and the PFF will not receive any assistance, including financial, from the world football governing body.

Malik also highlighted that, for the first time, the PFF participated in the 2023 Olympic qualifiers and advanced to the second round. The committee appreciated the efforts of the national federation in promoting football at the Olympic level.