Karachi, Feb 7: The International Football Federation (FIFA) has announced the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to its failure to implement necessary constitutional amendments required for proper governance of football in the country.
FIFA has stated that Pakistan will remain suspended until the PFF congress makes the required changes to its constitution.
Since June 2019, Pakistan’s football operations have been overseen by a FIFA-appointed Normalization Committee. This committee was tasked with organizing elections and resolving internal conflicts within the football setup, but it has struggled to fulfill its objectives effectively. Over the past five years, the leadership of the Normalization Committee has changed multiple times, yet the underlying issues in Pakistani football persist.
A significant point of contention has been the conflict between the Normalization Committee and the Pakistan Sports Board, which has stalled progress on the necessary constitutional amendments.
Earlier this week, Haroon Malik, chairman of the PFF Normalization Committee, warned a parliamentary panel that his tenure would end on February 15 and that the country could face further suspension if the constitutional amendments were not enacted. Malik also clarified that making these amendments would not mean he was positioning himself as a candidate in the upcoming elections for the PFF leadership.
Despite FIFA’s instructions, the PFF Congress has shown reluctance to implement the required changes, resulting in a stand-off. This is the third time the Pakistan Football Federation has been suspended since 2017.
