Delivering a severe blow to Pakistan's footballing community, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) after it failed to implement the necessary constitutional amendments required for fair and transparent governance of football in the country.
The suspension will remain in place until the PFF Congress complies with FIFA's directives and makes the required changes. With this ban, Pakistan will be excluded from international football activities, further hampering the sport's growth in the country.
Pakistan football has been under the management of a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee since June 2019, tasked with resolving internal conflicts and organizing fair elections. However, despite multiple leadership changes over the past five years, fundamental issues remain unresolved, preventing the sport from progressing effectively in the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, FIFA said, "The PFF has been suspended with immediate effect due to its failure to adopt a version of the PFF constitution that would ensure truly fair and democratic elections and thereby fulfill its obligation as mandated by FIFA as part of the ongoing normalization process of PFF."?
"The suspension will only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress approving the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC," it added.?
A major roadblock in implementing these amendments has been the ongoing friction between the Normalisation Committee and the state-run Pakistan Sports Board. This conflict has caused further delays in finalizing the required reforms. Earlier this week, PFF Normalisation Committee chairman Haroon Malik informed a parliamentary panel that his tenure would end on February 15, warning that failure to implement the constitutional amendments could result in FIFA suspending Pakistan, according to PTI.?
Malik also clarified that passing the amendments would not make him a candidate in the upcoming elections for PFF leadership. However, the reluctance of the PFF Congress to comply with FIFA's directives has resulted in a continued deadlock, making the suspension inevitable.?
This is not the first time Pakistan has faced such a setback. The Pakistan Football Federation has now been suspended by FIFA three times since 2017. Previous suspensions have been due to governance issues, political interference, and failure to comply with FIFA's regulations.?
Until the necessary reforms are enacted, Pakistan's football future remains uncertain, with hopes pinned on PFF leadership and government bodies finding a resolution that aligns with FIFA's expectations and restores Pakistan's place in international football.?
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