Pakistan’s membership has been suspended with immediate effect over third party interference
Fédération International Football Association (FIFA) has decided to suspend the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) with immediate effect.
Accordance to the decision from the Bureau of the FIFA Council, a third-party interference caused to the suspension of Pakistan Football Association.
The Pakistan Football Federation’s national and club teams are not entitled to take part in international competitions until the suspension is lifted.
According to the sources, PFF offices and its accounts remain in control of a court-appointed administrator, which constitutes a violation of the PFF obligations to manage its affairs independently and without influence from any third parties in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.
Due to this suspension PFF has lost all its membership rights as defined in Article 13 of the FIFA Statutes, which means neither the PFF nor any of its members or officials can benefit from any development programmes, courses or training from FIFA or the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Also after this suspension neither Pakistan Football Federation nor any other member associations may not entertain sporting contact with the PFF during its suspension.
The ban comes as a further blow to Pakistani football. The men’s national team has not played a game since 2015, resulting in an all-time low world ranking of 200 and there is no professional league in the country.
The PFF dispute began after a controversial election of the Punjab Football Association (PFA) in April 2015 that saw the country’s football governing body split into two factions heading into its presidential poll.
Meanwhile, FIFA gave the PFF faction led by Faisal Saleh Hayat a two-year mandate to ratify statutes and hold fresh elections in September 2015.
Earlier FIFA had given a final ultimatum to authorities in Pakistan for handing over football affairs to elected-president-PFF Faisal Saleh Hayat or face suspension from membership