ISLAMABAD: International football governing body FIFA announced on Thursday it had lifted a suspension imposed on the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in April 2021 due to third-party interference.
FIFA suspended the PFF last year after a dispute broke out among Pakistani football officials that was later resolved by the country’s top court whose decision was not recognized by the international body.
A group of local officials took over the PFF headquarters in Lahore by force in March 2021, sidelining the FIFA-recognized normalization committee (NC) while blaming it for not holding the federation’s elections in a long time.
FIFA barred Pakistan from participating in international competitions soon after the development, though it has now reversed its decision.
“The decision [to lift the suspension] was taken after FIFA received confirmation that the normalization committee of the PFF had regained full control of the PFF’s premises and was in a position to manage its finances,” its statement said.
FIFA informed it had warned the PFF that “undue interference in its affairs or action that could hinder the fulfilment of the mandate of the normalization committee” might lead to Pakistan being suspended again or result in further sanctions provided in the FIFA statute.
It added since the normalization committee could not realistically fulfill its original mandate until June 30, 2022, its tenure had been extended to June 30, 2023.
“This will enable [the committee] to finally carry out the tasks assigned to it in full,” the statement noted.