FIFA bans Pakistan from international events after constitution revision failure

FIFA on Friday, February 7, announced that it had suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) from taking part in international competitions, along with the Congo Republic's football association (FECOFOOT). The PFF was suspended due to its failure to adopt a revision of its constitution, which would have ensured fair and democratic elections.

FIFA had earlier suspended the PFF in 2017 and 2021 due to third-party interference in its affairs. The last ban on Pakistan was lifted in 2022 after the PFF's Normalisation Committee said that it had regained full control of the federation's finances and premises. In a statement released on its website, the football governing body said that the suspension on Pakistan would only be lifted if the PFF Congress approve the version of the constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC.

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"The PFF has been suspended with immediate effect due to its failure to adopt a revision of the PFF Constitution that would ensure truly fair and democratic elections and thereby fulfil its obligations as mandated by FIFA as part of the ongoing normalisation process of PFF."

"The suspension will only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress approving the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC," read the statement from FIFA.

PFF Normalisation Committee chairman Haroon Malik told local media on Thursday that the majority of the newly-elected PFF Congress members have not agreed to FIFA's proposals.

"FIFA wants to make some amendments to the PFF Constitution to bring it in line with international standards. In the recent efforts, the majority of the newly-elected PFF Congress members have not agreed to FIFA’s proposals," said Malik, according to Reuters.

Malik also added that all elections have been completed, and the Congress members will oversee the new phase.

Why was Congo Republic banned?

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The Congo Republic was banned due to the interference of third parties in the affairs of the organistaion.

"FECOFOOT has been suspended with immediate effect due to a particularly serious situation of undue interference by third parties in the affairs of the organisation, which constitutes a clear violation of FECOFOOT’s obligations in accordance with the FIFA Statutes," read the statement from FIFA.

Published By: alan john Published On: Feb 7, 2025

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