Being banned by FIFA is nothing new for Pakistan football. The world football governing body (FIFA) has previously banned Pakistan twice. Now, Pakistan's name has been added to that list again.
This was confirmed by FIFA in a press release issued on Thursday, February 6. With this, Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has been banned for the third time in the last eight years.
The latest ban stems from Pakistan's refusal to accept FIFA's proposed amendments to its football constitution. FIFA had recommended revisions to bring the constitution in line with international standards, but the PFF rejected these changes, resulting in the ban.
Haroon Malik, Chairman of the PFF Normalization Committee, explained that the deadlock between FIFA and the newly elected PFF Congress led to the conditional ban. He stated that FIFA wanted to align the PFF's constitution with global standards, but a majority of the newly elected Congress members disagreed with the proposed amendments.
However, FIFA has indicated that the ban will be lifted if the PFF Congress approves the changes to the constitution as proposed by FIFA and the AFC.
FIFA’s statement further emphasized that the immediate imposition of the ban was due to the failure to adopt the amendments. If approved, the changes would ensure free and fair elections and fulfil FIFA's obligations as part of the ongoing normalization process in Pakistan football.
