FIFA lifts suspension of Pakistan Football Federation
FIFA, world football governing body, has lifted ban on Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and the mandate of the FIFA’s Normalization Committee has been extended by one year.
The International Football Governing Body (FIFA) has decided to lift the suspension of the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF), which was imposed on “unnecessary third party interference”.
A statement from the FIFA Council’s bureau said: “This decision was made after FIFA confirmed that the PFF committee had full control of the federation and was in a position to manage its finances.”
“The PFF has also been informed that if there is any undue interference in its affairs or any obstruction to the committee in fulfilling its mandate, the PFF may be suspended again or other restrictions on FIFA’s status may be imposed.”
The statement said that the deadline given to the committee to fulfill its mandate was till today, which is no longer effective, so the bureau decided to extend the mandate of the committee till June 30, 2023.
“This decision will enable the committee to carry out the tasks assigned to it,” FIFA said.
PFF committee chairman Haroon Malik praised the decision, calling it “a historic day” for Pakistani football.
“I congratulate the entire nation and the football community on this news,” he said.
Haroon Malik said the committee was committed to fulfilling the mandate given by FIFA and would revive football activities as well as ensure the national team’s participation in world competitions.
It may be recalled that FIFA had suspended Pakistan’s membership in April 2021 and then the committee formed by him (Haroon Malik) was ousted from office by a group of officials headed by Ashfaq Hussain Shah.
The group of officials claimed that the committee headed by Haroon Malik was not serious about holding elections.
The committee apparently returned to the PFF headquarters after several rounds of talks between the Pakistan Sports Board and the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination with committee officials, including Ashfaq Group and others, before an eight-month roadmap for holding elections.
