The International Football Federation (FIFA) had suspended the Pakistan Football Federation because it had not amended its constitution according to necessities. FIFA, therefore, opined that amendment was a compulsion for its fair and sound governance of the game in the country. These amendments would become effective once a congress of PFF implements those amendments. This is the third time the Pakistan Football Federation is suspended by FIFA since 2017.
Dilemmas with normalisation committee
Since June 2019, a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee has been running Pakistan football. The committee was meant to conduct elections and sort out factional disputes within the football structure. However, it has failed to implement these plans effectively. In the last years, the heads and members of the Normalisation Committee have changed, but the core problems in the sport remain.
Conflict with Pakistan sports board
The Normalisation Committee has been at loggerheads with the Pakistan Sports Board which has further delayed some necessary constitutional amendments. Early in the week, PFF Normalisation Committee chairman Haroon Malik threatened a parliamentary panel that his term was ending on February 15 and that Pakistan risked suspension if the amendments were not implemented. He said that taking these changes doesn’t necessarily mean he will contest the elections himself in the PFF.
According to Malik, the PFF Congress refusal to agree on the amendments as requested by FIFA brought about this stalemate.
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FIFA suspended AIFF in 2022
In 2022, FIFA also suspended India, just like Pakistan now, with the Bureau of the FIFA Council unanimously agreeing to suspend the All India Football Federation (AIFF). The suspension was imposed due to undue third-party interference, which violated FIFA’s statutes. However, just after 10 days, FIFA lifted the ban on Indian football, after which India hosted the U-17 Women’s FIFA World Cup.
