FIFA suspends Pakistan Football Federation over constitutional issues

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) due to its failure to amend its constitution as required for the fair and effective governance of the sport in the country.

Since June 2019, Pakistan football has been under the control of a FIFA-appointed Normalisation Committee, tasked with holding elections and resolving internal conflicts within the federation. However, the committee has struggled to fulfil its mandate, leading FIFA to impose the suspension until the PFF Congress implements the necessary amendments.

Over the past five years, the leadership and members of the Normalisation Committee have changed multiple times, yet Pakistan football continues to face deep-rooted governance issues. A key obstacle has been the ongoing conflict between the Normalisation Committee and the state-run Pakistan Sports Board, which has delayed progress on the required reforms.

Earlier this week, the chairman of the PFF Normalisation Committee, Haroon Malik, warned a parliamentary panel that his tenure would end on 15 February and that failure to implement the amendments could result in Pakistan's suspension. Malik clarified that adopting the amendments would not make him a candidate in the forthcoming elections. However, the PFF Congress has refused to comply with FIFA's directives, resulting in a deadlock.

This marks the third time since 2017 that the Pakistan Football Federation has been suspended by FIFA.