FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation

Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect, rejecting the constitutional amendments proposed by it.

According to a media report, a statement issued by FIFA said that the PFF has been suspended with immediate effect because it has failed to revise its constitution in a way that would ensure truly fair and democratic elections and thus fulfill FIFA’s obligations as part of the ongoing process of normalizing the PFF.

FIFA has said that the suspension will only be lifted if the PFF Congress approves the constitution proposed by FIFA and the American Football Conference (AFC).

Earlier, while addressing the meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination, the Chairman of the PFF Normalization Committee appointed by FIFA, Haroon Malik, had said that Pakistan was at risk of suspension.

The suspension has increased pressure on the PFF Congress to accept FIFA’s demands after the Congress rejected amendments that focused mostly on the presidential candidacy in an extraordinary session last month.

FIFA had given the PFFNC until February 15 to hold elections, but the process was stalled after Congress rejected the amendments.

Haroon Malik has written to members of Congress expressing his intention to hold a meeting to resolve the issue. The PFF has been mired in crisis and controversy since 2015 and this is the third time since 2017 that Pakistan has been suspended.