FIFA Suspends Pakistan Football Federation Over Governance Issues

FIFA has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect due to its failure to adopt constitutional amendments aimed at ensuring fair and democratic elections.

This decision follows the PFF Congress’s rejection of the proposed changes, which were recommended by FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as part of the federation’s normalization process.

The suspension is a result of PFF’s inability to revise its constitution in line with FIFA’s requirements for fair governance. As a consequence, Pakistani teams are barred from participating in international competitions, and PFF will not receive financial assistance from FIFA until the issue is resolved.

“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.

This is not the first time PFF has faced such disciplinary action; it was previously banned in April 2021 due to third-party interference. That suspension was lifted in June 2022 after significant efforts were made to address governance issues within Pakistani football.

For the current suspension to be lifted, it is imperative that the PFF Congress approves FIFA’s proposed constitutional amendments. The situation highlights ongoing governance challenges within Pakistani football, despite recent progress such as participation in Olympic qualifiers.

Earlier in the day, Haroon Malik, Chairman of the PFF Normalisation Committee, stated that Pakistan faces a potential “conditional” suspension from FIFA due to an ongoing deadlock between the international football body and the newly elected PFF Congress.

While briefing the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC), Malik explained that such a suspension would result in Pakistan losing its international participation rights and the cessation of FIFA’s financial support to the PFF.

“FIFA aims to amend the PFF Constitution to align it with international standards. However, the majority of the newly elected PFF Congress members have not accepted FIFA’s proposed changes,” Malik said.

He also updated the committee on the PFF election process, detailing its completion from the district level upwards and confirming that the elected Congress members would oversee the next phase.

Additionally, Malik highlighted Pakistan’s participation in the 2023 Olympic qualifiers, where the team advanced to the second round for the first time. The committee acknowledged and commended the PFF’s efforts in promoting football at the Olympic level.